People who lost money to fraud and sent a Western Union transfer between January 1, 2004, and March 9, 2020, have a new opportunity to apply for compensation. The U.S. Department of Justice opened the third and final phase of the Western Union remission process Wednesday and set a December 31, 2026 filing deadline.
The reopened process is for potential victims who did not previously submit a petition. The Justice Department says participation is free and warns that neither the government nor the claims administrator will demand payment to file.
Who may qualify
The eligibility window covers fraud-induced Western Union transfers made from January 1, 2004 through March 9, 2020. The underlying schemes included grandparent scams, lottery or sweepstakes scams and romance scams. Applicants should use the official remission portal and review its eligibility instructions before submitting documents.
The Justice Department said Western Union forfeited $586 million under a 2017 deferred prosecution agreement. More than $436.9 million has already been distributed to over 180,000 victims in earlier phases. The latest announcement also described an additional $3.4 million in remission to 1,294 victims.
How to file safely
- Use the official Western Union Remission Phase 3 portal.
- Submit a petition by December 31, 2026.
- Do not pay anyone to participate. Filing is free.
- For assistance, the official administrator lists 1-833-419-4677.
- Be skeptical of unsolicited messages asking for fees, passwords or bank credentials.
The government said legitimate communications will come directly from the remission administrator or from officials with whom a victim has already been in contact. Scammers often exploit real refund programs by impersonating agencies, so applicants should navigate to the official site themselves instead of relying on unexpected links.
Why the fund exists
Western Union acknowledged in the 2017 agreement that its conduct included Bank Secrecy Act violations and aiding and abetting wire fraud. Prosecutors said some owners, operators or employees of Western Union locations were complicit in fraud schemes and that the company failed to suspend or terminate certain agents. The company fulfilled its obligations under the agreement, and a court dismissed the criminal information in 2020.
This is a compensation process, not a new recall or class-action settlement. Eligibility and payment amounts depend on the official administrator’s review. Readers can find more consumer-money coverage in AskNovus Personal Finance and more verified national developments in U.S. News.
Featured image: Vitaly Gariev via Unsplash.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice — Phase Three compensation announcement (October 7, 2026)
- Official Western Union Remission Phase 3 portal (accessed October 7, 2026)
- Federal Trade Commission — Avoiding government-impersonation scams (accessed October 7, 2026)
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