Western Union refusing to give refund unless I email photo ID

isushi

Sorry if this is the wrong board, but I would be grateful for some advice.

I decided to send some money to a friend using Western Union online. The transaction was put on hold with a message saying:
"If we do not hear from you in the next 24 hours, we will cancel your money transfer and you will not be billed."

I phoned them up and they said they needed me to send ID to prove that I am not someone who is banned from using Western Union (which I have never used before) as my name is similar to someone else's who is banned. They were also vague about some sort of government check.

I did not trust sending a photo ID to a foreign call centre and asked them to cancel the transaction.

I then went to a physical Western Union branch and sent money with no issues.

I then checked my bank account and Western Union online took the money from my account. I thought it was a simple matter of phoning to get a refund, but I was put through to the Compliance Team and they are refusing to give me my money back unless I send them a photo ID (e.g. passport or driving licence), where I was born and my job title! I asked if I could show my ID to a Western Union branch in England or anyone else and they said no I have to email it.

So even though in the original email they said I would not be billed and it would automatically be cancelled in 24 hours... They have taken my money and refused to give it back.

I am not a technophobe by any sense, but I draw the line at sending ID to foreign call centres I do not know.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Should I bite the bullet and email them ID or is there another way around it? Does anyone know if it is safe to do?

Would this impact my credit rating or anything else?

jonesMUFCforever

Are you sure the first payment went through the proper Western Union website and not a phising one?
Might be a good idea to have a word with your bank and ask for a new card.

grumbler

isushi wrote: »

I am not a technophobe by any sense, but I draw the line at sending ID to foreign call centres I do not know.

AML paranoia is spreading all over the world from USA. Proving your ID for financial transactions is pretty much a norm nowadays.
Sending copies of your IDs isn't a big deal if you prevent the copies possible misuse by adding a watermark, in this case "Copy for Western Unioun only".

E.g.: Proving to a Bookmaker who you are - ID & Certification

isushi

jonesMUFCforever wrote: »

Are you sure the first payment went through the proper Western Union website and not a phising one?
Might be a good idea to have a word with your bank and ask for a new card.

Thanks for responding! For better or worse it is the official site and phone number (was certain before, but double checked now just to be sure).

isushi

grumbler wrote: »

AML paranoia is spreading all over the world from USA. Proving your ID for financial transactions is pretty much a norm nowadays.
Sending copies of your IDs isn't a big deal if you prevent the copies possible misuse by adding a watermark, in this case "Copy for Western Unioun only".

E.g.: Proving to a Bookmaker who you are - ID & Certification

Thanks for that. It's a good idea to put a watermark. It is just annoying to go through all this for a service I did not use and do not intend to use.

GingerBob_3

I would have thought they should refund it to the bank account it came out of without further ado. If they refuse it is almost a case of theft. I certainly wouldn't entertain the idea of sending photocopies on the basis described. You could speak to your bank about it and ask them if there's anything they can do (unlikely). Next step might be to threaten WU with legal action.

isushi

GingerBob wrote: »

I would have thought they should refund it to the bank account it came out of without further ado. If they refuse it is almost a case of theft. I certainly wouldn't entertain the idea of sending photocopies on the basis described. You could speak to your bank about it and ask them if there's anything they can do (unlikely). Next step might be to threaten WU with legal action.

Thank you for the advice! That is exactly what I thought. I tried to talk to them about i over the phone. I asked them if WU would keep my money indefinitely unless I sent the information and the operator said yes. I told them that was pretty much theft.

I have tried sending a complaint via email to see if I get a better result stating that I am wiling to escalate the issue if needed. Even if Western Union is a trustworthy company... Sending photographic ID, place of birth and job title is too much for comfort.

AdamJK_2

I'm assuming that you made the initial online payment via debit card; if so then contact your bank and have the funds recovered under VISA chargeback. State that the company (WU) has taken the funds in error and contact with them has been unproductive, I'd keep copies of the email chain you've had with WU to provide to the bank if required.

starM

I have used WU number of times. My transaction always stopped due to someone else having a similar name to me according to WU. I did sent them my passport copy initially and then rang them back. They quickly checked my passport and release the funds.

Will be best if you do the same. It is quick and easy process.