Western Union Lottery-Scam Victims Get a Final Chance to Seek Compensation
People who sent money through Western Union after being deceived by a fake lottery or sweepstakes may have a new opportunity to recover some or all of their eligible losses.
On October 7, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the third and final phase of a compensation process funded by money Western Union previously forfeited to the federal government. The program covers several types of consumer fraud, including schemes in which criminals claimed that someone had won a lottery or sweepstakes but needed to pay taxes, fees or other charges before receiving the nonexistent prize. United States Department of Justice
The filing deadline is December 31, 2026. Participation is free, and neither the Justice Department nor the official remission administrator will request payment to process a petition.
Who May Be Eligible?
A person may qualify if they:
- Were the victim of fraud.
- Sent money to the fraudster through Western Union.
- Made the transfer between January 1, 2004, and March 9, 2020.
The transfer may have been sent within or outside the United States. Applicants do not have to be U.S. citizens or currently live in the United States.
The covered fraud is not limited to fake lotteries. Grandparent scams, romance scams, job-related schemes and other fraudulent transactions may also qualify. For LotteryWarrior readers, however, the important category is the advance-fee prize scam: someone was told they had won money but first had to send a Western Union payment to release it.
That is not how a legitimate lottery claim works. A real lottery does not require a winner to wire “taxes,” “insurance,” “processing fees” or “customs charges” to an unknown individual before receiving a prize.
What Losses Can Be Recovered?
Approved compensation is based on the eligible amount transferred through Western Union, minus any refund the victim already received.
The program does not cover Western Union transfer fees, incidental expenses or money sent through other payment providers. Filing a petition also does not guarantee approval or guarantee that every claimed dollar will be repaid. The Justice Department will compare petitions with Western Union’s records and determine the approved loss.
Western Union agreed in 2017 to forfeit $586 million after acknowledging responsibility for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and for aiding and abetting wire fraud. According to the Justice Department’s latest announcement, more than $436.9 million has already been distributed to over 180,000 victims. Additional forfeited funds remain available, allowing the government to reopen the process to people who did not previously file. United States Department of Justice
No payment timetable has been announced for newly approved claims.
How to Submit a Petition
Victims can submit a petition through the official Western Union Remission Phase 3 website or download a form and mail it to the address supplied by the administrator.
Online submissions must be completed by December 31, 2026. Mailed petitions should be postmarked by that date. The administrator says supporting materials cannot be submitted by email and applicants should not mail original documents.
Useful documentation may include:
- Western Union receipts or send forms
- Money Transfer Control Numbers
- Emails, letters or messages from the fraudster
- Records showing how the scam was presented
- Previous reports submitted to Western Union or law enforcement
A victim who no longer has every receipt should still provide whatever documentation remains available. Western Union’s current online transaction-history process may not reach the oldest eligible transactions.
People who received compensation during an earlier phase generally may submit another petition only for newly discovered or additional transfers that were not included previously. Some earlier petitioners whose transactions were originally outside the former eligibility period were reconsidered after the program expanded its cutoff through March 9, 2020. westernunionremissionphase3.com
The official program telephone number is 1-833-419-4677.
Watch for Fraudsters Impersonating the Recovery Program
The opportunity comes with an important warning: criminals may impersonate government employees or recovery specialists and claim they can obtain compensation for an upfront payment.
The Justice Department says there is no fee to participate and no attorney is required. Verita Global, the official remission administrator, will not ask victims to pay to file a petition.
Anyone receiving an unexpected message should avoid using links, telephone numbers or addresses supplied by the sender. Instead, begin with the Justice Department’s October 7 announcement or type the official remission website address directly into the browser.
Some applicants may legitimately be asked for a Social Security number or taxpayer identification number because approved payments must undergo Treasury Offset Program review. That sensitive information should be submitted only through the verified petition process—not by replying to an unsolicited email, text or social-media message.
LotteryWarrior Take
This program provides a concrete next step for people who lost money, but it also reinforces the simplest defense against fake-prize fraud: winning does not begin with wiring money to a stranger.
A legitimate lottery prize requires an actual ticket or documented entry, an official drawing and a claim through the responsible lottery. No fee can transform an unsolicited telephone call, letter or social-media message into a valid win.
Victims should not be shamed for responding to a sophisticated scam. Fraudsters manufacture urgency, authority and fear specifically to prevent people from slowing down and verifying the story. Family members can help by calmly gathering records, checking official sources and completing the petition before the deadline.
Anyone who may qualify should act promptly, preserve copies of all documentation and use only the official recovery channels.
Reader question: Do you know someone who sent Western Union money after being promised a lottery or sweepstakes prize? Share this information privately so they do not miss the December 31 deadline.
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