Fraud Awareness

Smart People Fall for Scams Every Day
Con artists use good people like you, and good money transfer companies like Western Union, to steal money. The best defense is awareness and education—so you can spot the warning signs. There’s a lot of information on this site to help you help yourself, help others, and help us. Together, we can fight fraud.

Consumer Fraud Awareness Videos
Scammers are constantly changing their tactics. But understanding their techniques will help protect you against them. Watch these fraud videos that describe the most common scam types and provide valuable tips for the consumer to use to help protect themselves from falling victim.

Fraud Awareness brochures
Download brochures for tips and information about protecting yourself from fraud.

Fraud Alerts
Are You Looking for Rental Property or Do You Have Property to Rent?
Read this First!
Sophisticated scammers use the Internet, and particularly free classified websites, to prey on unsuspecting real estate victims. Rental property scams generally happen in one of two ways:
Consumers are looking for a house or apartment to rent and get scammed by an “owner.” Victims come across a place in a great area, at a great price. The advertisement looks legitimate so they start communicating with the “owner,” generally by email. The owner says the place is theirs if they wire money to cover an application fee, security deposit, etc. They wire the money, and then never hear from the “owner” again.
Consumers are renting out a house or apartment they own and get scammed by a “renter.” “Renters” contact victims, generally by email, and express interest in renting the house or apartment. Scammers send a check for the deposit but then cancel the deal. Victims wire the money back only to find out that the check was a fake.
Think you've been scammed?

Report it. You can help us and, in the process, help others from getting scammed in the future.
Call our Fraud Hotline at
0 805 980 074
Forward suspicious emails to spoof@westernunion.com