I am a Western Union victim.

notydino

1. Hi this happened around september.

2. i was an international student rushing to find a house and never heard of western union before. There were also assingments and exams to rush as well. Add lack of local cultural knowledge. All the small factor has added up to me making this mistake.

3. I didn't know it was dead easy to withdraw money from western union with fake passports etc.

Anyway that has happened and it's traumatizing. I went to the consumer associations and they pressured the police but as usual, nothing happens.

Two of us were relieved of a total of 1000pounds.

Since western union paid the wrong person due to it's own lack of security procedures. i would like to know if there is anything i can do to reclaim the money.

It's been almost a year and i still feel like crap about the money so no critism please. Your advice would be most welcomed.

Captain_Mainwaring_2

What advice do you want then?

Who knew that there was going to be a transfer? someone had to, and to which outlet it was going to. There are plenty of security questions that can be added too.

Sounds like you have been robbed by someone who knew you. Who did you let copy your passport?

brownbabygirl

Captain, i think it happened this way (OP correct me if wrong): the person claimed to have a flat and asked for deposit to be sent to a friend of the OP or the OP self. The OP may have been asked to send a scan of the transaction to show they are serious about the flat etc. Scammer then uses the info on the scanned form to fakes an ID and claims the money.

I was very nearly had earlier this year about this. It just seemed too good to be true and I reported it to gumtree.

Sorry OP, I am not sure you can get your money back. Just take it as lesson learned and NEVER pay such money by WU as it is the preferred method by scammers.

notydino

Captain_Mainwaring wrote: »

What advice do you want then?

Who knew that there was going to be a transfer? someone had to, and to which outlet it was going to. There are plenty of security questions that can be added too.

Sounds like you have been robbed by someone who knew you. Who did you let copy your passport?

How can i get the money back. It would be impossible to obtain my passport as no such details were given. So the passport used must have been fake. But like any student, we were required to provide details of our add, full name and dob. (also ignorant of identity theifs at time of arrival). We were also told to provide the transaction number. The guy at the counter guranteed that a real passport was required. Unfortunately this was in liverpool and the guys in london prob didn't observe the same policy. we put it in in liverpool and it got withdrawn in london.

Since a fake passport was used, i was hoping we have a case against them. Note that the police weren't helpful either. They kept pushing the case around due to juristiction issues.

notydino

brownbabygirl wrote: »

Captain, i think it happened this way (OP correct me if wrong): the person claimed to have a flat and asked for deposit to be sent to a friend of the OP or the OP self. The OP may have been asked to send a scan of the transaction to show they are serious about the flat etc. Scammer then uses the info on the scanned form to fakes an ID and claims the money.

I was very nearly had earlier this year about this. It just seemed too good to be true and I reported it to gumtree.

Sorry OP, I am not sure you can get your money back. Just take it as lesson learned and NEVER pay such money by WU as it is the preferred method by scammers.

I've more or less put it behind me now but if there's a chance, i would take it. Money don't grow on trees these days.

brownbabygirl

Noty, can you please explain exactly how this happened?

Captain_Mainwaring_2

notydino wrote: »

How can i get the money back. It would be impossible to obtain my passport as no such details were given. So the passport used must have been fake. But like any student, we were required to provide details of our add, full name and dob. (also ignorant of identity theifs at time of arrival). We were also told to provide the transaction number. The guy at the counter guranteed that a real passport was required. Unfortunately this was in liverpool and the guys in london prob didn't observe the same policy. we put it in in liverpool and it got withdrawn in london.

Since a fake passport was used, i was hoping we have a case against them. Note that the police weren't helpful either. They kept pushing the case around due to juristiction issues.

You transfered money from Liverpool to London using Western Union to someone you didn't know?

Well you can only put it down to experience- it isn't down to Western Union I'm afraid.

My betting is that the guy in the receiving office in London isn't on the straight and narrow.

As you say money isn't easy to come by, thus trust nobody.

brownbabygirl

This was the email I got from the scammer and nearly fell for it

There is an internet and phone connected in My property,You can stay in My Property for as Long as you want. No one is making use of the house at the moment. and i hate to see it dirty every time. Its better for me to let it out to someone who will make it clean and tidy. I hope you understand this.and thats why I am giving this flat away. Well, Viewing the house is not a problem. But i will like you to do a thing. I guess you will understand this. It's in the policy my Lawyer has told me and i wish to abide by it. I won't get any money from you now. So you will do a thing to make me believe you really need the Apartment.I have been fooled several times and I had to travel a long journey with my Lawyer to meet people who wants to view my property and at the end of the day they tell me they want to stay in the apartment for a month before they would pay me. I don't want this to happen to me again so My Lawyer has advised me that I have to be sure that who so ever is renting my property should be capable of paying the cost of the rent.
You will go to the nearest WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER around you,Send to your Friend send the sum 1100pounds in western union. The money is still within you. I am not ready to get money from you as i have said. All I need to see is the western union money transfer copy of receipt giving to you. Scan the western union receipt and send it as an attachment to my email just for me to view it and be sure you are ready to get the Flat. after viewing the house, and you really like it, You can go together to the western union location agent or bank around here to get the 1100 pounds back and we can reach an agreement on how you will move into the Flat. I will pay back to you the charges you will be using in sending the money in western union. If you don't understand, Here is an examples of how to do it....

SENDERS NAME....................YOUR NAME
RECEIVER' NAME...................YOUR FRIEND NAME.
AMOUNT SENT.....................1100POUNDS.

and scan the copy of receipt to me in an email just for me to view it.
and then i can pick you up and show you the Flat.
Best Regards.
Richard.

I got me thinking and I askked him if he was so concerned about the flat why he did not have a letting agent manage it for him? He could not reply lol

Captain_Mainwaring_2

brownbabygirl wrote: »

This was the email I got from the scammer and nearly fell for it





I got me thinking and I askked him if he was so concerned about the flat why he did not have a letting agent manage it for him? He could not reply lol

You nearly fell for that?

Hey, you just won the Lagos Lottery - send me $1000 by pm and I'll tell you how you could collect it.

brownbabygirl

Captain_Mainwaring wrote: »

You nearly fell for that?

Hey, you just won the Lagos Lottery - send me $1000 by pm and I'll tell you how you could collect it.

lol, i normally would not but the flat was really nice and i was desperate at that time to move out.:rotfl:

Guess what it was for a 2 bedroom, furnished flat near london waterloo for £600 all inclusive! LOL

notydino

brownbabygirl wrote: »

Noty, can you please explain exactly how this happened?

Okay the ad was from gumtree. (the actual transaction was very obvious but desperation tends to blind).
She asked me to transfer the money to someone i know to prove i have the money. i transfer it to my girlfriends name. i provided her my mctn number.

After that, we are supposed to meet at the train station but surprise surprise, no show. we went to retrive the money the next day but naturally it was gone (to our horror of course).

YES I KNOW! IT'S OBLIVIOUSLY STUPID!