ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Georgia's Attorney General announced that scam victims within the state who were conned into sending payments through Western Union wire transfers can now apply for compensation.
The Department of Justice is administering a $586 million dollar fund through its Victim Asset Recovery Program.
The fund is paid for through a court settlement with Western Union.
Georgians could be eligible for compensation if they were a victim of a fraud-induced transfer using Western Union between January 1, 2004, and January 19, 2017.
Below is the entire announcement from the Attorney General:
ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that Georgia consumers who were conned into sending payments to scammers using Western Union's wire transfer service may now apply for compensation from a $586 million fund administered by the Department of Justice's Victim Asset Recovery Program.
“Criminal scam artists are adept at developing all kinds of schemes to convince consumers to wire them money,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “Our Consumer Protection Unit will continue to fight back against scammers on behalf of Georgia consumers, and we are glad to see that money from this settlement will now be rightfully returned to those affected.”
This fund is related to a multi-state settlement reached between 49 other states and the District of Columbia and Western Union. The settlement was first announced in January.
Georgia consumers may be eligible to receive compensation if they were a victim of a fraud-induced transfer using Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017.
Georgia consumers who have already reported to Western Union or to the Georgia Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Unit that they had been the victim of a scam using Western Union may receive a claim form in the mail. The claim form will be sent from the settlement administrator in the next two weeks. The form will contain instructions explaining how consumers may file their claim to receive compensation.
If you do not receive a claim form in the mail but believe you may have an eligible claim, please visit www.westernunionremission.com or call 1-844-319-2124 for more information on how to file a claim. All completed claims forms must be mailed back to the settlement administrator by February 12, 2018.
The Attorney General's Office encourages consumers to reach out to our Consumer Protection Unit if they have questions or concerns at 404-651-8600 or www.consumer.ga.gov.
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