If you run into a seller who only accepts Moneygram and WU as payment options you will see it is most likely a fraud. When you make a payment via Western Union you need a name, address and country of the receiver. The fraudsters will in many cases tell you that you can hide the “secret number” and only show him a printed proof of payment and he will send out the goods. This supposed “secret number” is only a control number to track the status of the order. It’s called MTCN (money transfer control number) and the receiver can pick up money without it. The best thing to do is if we look at an example. Lets say you are paying a person with this name:
Dr. Patrick Krieger
Arthur Avenue 143
Miami, 32003
USA
Now you think only this person can pick up money you have sent, but in fact your money can be picked by a China guy in Shanghai. Western Union has been created mainly for the reason you could send money if a friend got mugged or somehow run out of money in a remote destination or another country. If your friend is out of money there is a high probability he can also be without a personal ID or other official identification documents. So you don’t need an ID to pick up the money. When you are filling the form of Western Union you can require for the receiver to identify themselves, but then again, it can be picked up without the ID.
I shouldn’t tell you how easy it is to fake an ID in photoshop. With little practice and graphical skills you can create a false official document in an hour or you can order one in underground internet. Templates and scanned official documents can be obtained online you only need to change a picture and type in the desired name. A bank employee will surely not have the knowledge to recognize this fake ID and if by chance he does you can just go to the next WU agent.
Don’t get fooled with the MTCN trick. Thieves often repeat you can hide the Secret MTCN and after you have received your package you will release this number to them so they can pick up funds. MTCN, Money Transfer Control Number is nothing but a CONTROL NUMBER with which you can track the process of your money online. Is your bank still processing your order? Have the funds been picked up? It only is a number to check the status, so the receiver doesn’t need any MTCN to pick up the cash. If someone tries this on you, immediately stop any transaction or deal offer because it is definitely a scam.
If you know the person you are sending your money to, then western union can be the best option to send out money. For example, a family member is in a distant location and lost his ID and is out of money. No, problem you just send your support money via western union and he will be able to pick it up without problems. Also good if you are sending gifts or payments to reputable sellers that you thrust. A very fast option of payment, since the receiver gets his funds only hours after you sent it, anywhere in the world!
September 9th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hello! I just left an e-mail describing the series of events occuring since last Wed., 9-3-08, informing me of my e-mail/web acct. being selected in a random drawing as the winner of 5.5 million Great British pounds in a Microsoft Word Intl. Lottery drawing:United Kingdom Div. I guess this infirmation (my e-mail, etc.) was available through my using MSN as part of my installed systems format and programming. My concern is that has my computer and info contained there-in been compromised? Hacked into? Taken over? and is this “lottery winning” real or fraud? What can I do? Where can I report and seek an investigation to find out if it is real and true? Please reply at your earliest convenience as I monitor daily. Thank you, Sincerely, James O.@ jaoriv@q.com
November 7th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Is there any other way we can check our MTCN online if this is true or not? I have a friend that was told to be send a money by his chatmate from distant location, at once she told to get the money in western union. By the time, she come by, the MTCN did not appear as she check it with the western union agent. At this point, is there any other way for us to check the status of MTCN online so we know if it true or not?
November 7th, 2008 at 7:56 am
You can find your order status by going to westernunion.com and clicking on “transfer status”.
March 9th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I advertised a book i was selling on Facebook, and some guy wanted to buy it (from canada). he wanted to send me 3,500$ for my 100$ book where he would then give me an extra $50 for cashing the check at my bank and then going to western union to send him the rest of the money to his (agent). Through the conversation on e-mail it seemed he wanted nothing to do with the book but gave me all the information necessary for me to send the rest of the money.
Just really confussed and hope you can solve this problem
March 9th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
There are two possibilities. He may send you cash to clean it. Read more about it in money laundering.
Or he’ll send you a fake check that will bounce. While you’re waiting for the check to be cleared he will tell you that in the mean time you should send the “rest” back to him, from your own pocket of course. The check will not be cleared and the scammer just received a few thousand dollars from you.
March 14th, 2009 at 4:22 am
Someone offered to pay me through Western Union. All they asked for was my name, phone number and address. Just by giving him this is there any possible way to get scammed still? I did not give him any banking account numbers, etc
May 6th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
I looked at this site as it advertised it would tell me who to report to. Local police can’t take case as I transferred money to NY and fraudsters are in Canada. FBI won’t talk to me as the sum is not great enough. It is to me! I have a money gram agent with foto of the one who picked up the money and have a voice recording of my secret shopper agent. WHO can I report them to?
June 18th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Hi I got a mail form a transaction on ebay, I was selling an Item and the buyer asked me to deposit 350 via western Union saying he had deposited the money by paypal. I also recieved a fake email from paypal.
This PayPal® payment has been deducted from the buyer’s account and has been “APPROVED” but will not be credited into your account until the payment MTCN information is sent to us for shipment verification, so as to secure both the buyer and the seller. Below are the relevant information required before your account will be credited: Send MTCN information to us at (paypalaccount@fundnotifications.com) and our customer care service will attend to you. As soon as we receive the MTCN information for security and safety purpose of the buyer and the seller, the money will be credited to your account immediately.
If I stop the negotiations now is there any possible Ill get scammed?
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:53 pm
What do you do when you lose your MTCN number and a transaction went through but cannot be located. We have been trying to locate fund transfered to our Mortgage provider but there is no listing on the date we sent it and without the MTCN number, Western Union have not been helping us much. Please advise.
June 24th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I would like to know if the following could be a Western Union scam or not. Someone from another country insists in buying me an expensive item I advertized on the internet and wants to pay me via Western Union, nothing else. The person then asks for my full name and address to do the payment and asks me to ship the item within the next 24h. The person insists that she really wants the item for a gift to a church, talks about her autn etc… but it doesn’t sound right.
Something tells me that this is a kind of phishing scheme but I don’t know exactly what kind of a scam it can be. I really don’t know what is going on, but I’m sure this is a scam. Any idea what this is all about?
June 24th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
I just realize my story is similar to that of Devin (see March 14 2009 above). Someone from abroad insists in buying an expensive but very common item (a musical instrument), wants it ship within 24h and says he’s gonna pay via Western Union. Could this be a scam?
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:02 am
Anything involving someone wanting to purchase your item and make payment by Western Union / Money Gram is a scam. Anyone sending you a check for more than the asking price of your item & then wanting you to W/U the balance is a scammer. When they get really instistent with you regarding the Western Union funds, it is a scam. When they want your item ASAP, 9 times out of 10 it’s a scam.
My son places a “For Sale” ad on Craigslist and received a check for $2200.00 with instructions “Oops – sent too much money. Please send the balance back to me by Western Union”. The name of the bank no longer existed. Doing an Internet search, I called the name on the check (it was a business) and I was advised an old, old account number fell into the hands of crooks who printed fake checks with their old banking info.
If you have been swindled out of money/merchandise by these scammers, go to http://www.FBI.gov and there is a link where these growing crimes can be reported.
July 6th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Never take any checks, money orders, cashiers checks or anything else that appears to be a money in the form of paper! More than 9 times out of ten, you will loose money, merchandise, or both. After taking the negociable funds to the bank, mailing off an item that was purchased with it, or mailing off excess funds, you will get a letter from your banki that the funds were no good! When you sign the back of that check and then deposit it in your bank, you are guaranteeing that the funds are good, and will take the loss, whatever it might be! The scams are changing, but one thing that is not, is the fake ways in which they pay with! Also, if you are buying something, if you are unable to use pay pal or meet the person in person, do not send any funds because you will never see what ever it is that you were hoping to buy! Many of these scams are coming from Nigeria, although I have seen some from Africa, and others as well!
July 16th, 2009 at 4:17 am
well westernunion is now reliable,there is no way some can now pick up money without having the mtcn number,before someone could easily pick up any money without the mtcn number,but westernunion have now come to the terms no mtcn number,no location of where the money is coming,the test quesiton and asnwer and the exact name of the sender the money will not be released to you
August 2nd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Please do not believe anyone who says money cannot be picked up without the MTCN number. I work at store with a Western Union terminal and we pay out money every day to people who have no idea what the MTCN number of their transaction is. All you need to pick up money is the name of sender and your name, address and phone number and ID. If a test question has been included, you don’t even need the ID.
Again, you DO NOT need to know the MTCN number to pick up the money. Anyone telling you they can’t get the money without you telling them this number is LYING!!!
August 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am
when scammers want your money, you need to send $$ first, then they promise to send the merch that you paid for, once they receive the money.then they never send merch, because it never existed.
when its the other way around, they will send you a check that will bounce, but not until after you have sent your items.
what i wonder is if these scenarios have ever linked up one scammer with another? i mean a published or printed news story of how one scammer sends a fake check to another scammer? i would like to read about that
September 17th, 2009 at 4:13 am
i was dealing with someone about renting a house
lots of emails
they told me that they didnt want the money just to show i have sent it
western union office told me only the person i sent the money too can pick it
i asked again and she told me the same thing
so i sent it to a family member then asked the western union lady can i give the person i am renting off the mtcn number she said yes they cannot do anything with that
wooohooo the took my money from another part of the country
can i get my money back
September 17th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
My story is exactly the same with kaz. I didn’t even tell the the scammer who the receiver is. They took the money anyway. They are still investigating.
October 1st, 2009 at 1:59 pm
I recieved two western uion money orders in the mail..I have no idea who they are from or why I hve recieved them I called western union and cold not get ahold of anyone that could help. Anyone know what I should do are these safe to cash.