Still time to reclaim con cash

ADEADLINE for a pot of money available to people in West Lancashire who had been conned into paying a crook using Western Union has been extended.

Last year Trading Standards discovered the funds in America were available.

The deadline was supposed to be Monday, February 12, but it has now been extended to Thursday, May 31.

It is available to those who lost money using Western Union between January 2004 and January 19, 2017. The Federal Trade Commission in the US reached a settlement with Western Union to return $586m (£422m) to its customers who lost money to fraudsters.

Western Union received 550,000 complaints about money transfers made for fake lotteries and prize draws, advance fee loans and online dating.

The Federal Trade Commission has confirmed that UK residents are entitled to file a claim.

West Lancashire residents could receive a partial or even a full refund by completing an online claim form. It is free to file a claim. A remission form must be completed and any documents relating to the money transfer and the fraud can be sent; those who do not have any documents can still claim, providing they know when they sent the money, the amount sent and the country it was sent to.

It will take up to a year to validate all the claims it gets and return money to people.

The claim form is online at www.westernunion remission.com

It can be filed electronically on or before May 31 or it can be printed and send in the post.

It must be postmarked on or before May 31, and mailed to The Western Union Company, PO Box 404027, Louisville, KY 40233-4027, USA.