AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texans who wired money through Western Union to “fraudsters” between 2004 and early 2017 are eligible to recover funds through a nationwide settlement.
Attorney General Ken Paxton says the $586 million settlement will be divvied up among all the states and approximately 39,000 Texans may be eligible for refunds.
In many of the cases, criminals would contact consumers and sometimes posed as family members to get the person on the line to wire them money. In some cases, the suspects offered prizes and even job opportunities.
If you wired money via Western Union to a fraudulent account between Jan. 1, 2004 and Jan. 19, 2017, you are eligible to recover refunds. Customers can submit a claim by going to this website. All claims must be submitted by Feb. 12, 2018.
“Scam artists are always looking for new ways to fool people into wiring them money, including schemes involving deceiving people into believing they are speaking with family members, romantic interests, lotteries or contests,” said Paxton in a press release.