Recover After a Western Union or MoneyGram Transfer to a Scammer
Immediate steps to take if you have sent money via Western Union or MoneyGram to a fraudster, including how to attempt a recall and report the fraud.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
First 10 minutes
- Call Western Union (1-800-448-1492) or MoneyGram (1-800-926-9400) immediately and explain you have been scammed
- Have your Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) or reference number ready — this is essential for a stop request
- Note the recipient name and country you sent to for the fraud report
- Do not send any further payments regardless of pressure from the scammer
- Screenshot or photograph your receipt and any related correspondence immediately
First 24 hours
- File a report with Western Union's or MoneyGram's fraud department in writing and request a formal case number
- Report to your national fraud authority — Action Fraud (UK) or the FTC (US) — providing all transfer details
- Contact your bank if you funded the transfer via a bank account or debit card to report the fraud
Contact your bank or payment provider
- If you funded the Western Union or MoneyGram transfer using a debit or credit card, contact your card issuer to report potential fraud
- Ask whether a chargeback is possible for the card transaction used to fund the wire
- Request that your bank flag your account for any further suspicious activity related to the same scammer
Evidence to preserve
- Keep all receipts, transaction confirmations, and email or text communications related to the transfer
- Note the scammer's contact details — phone number, email, username — and save all messages
- Record the exact amount sent, the transfer date, the receiving country, and the recipient name
Secure your accounts and devices
- If the scam involved giving personal information, monitor your credit file for signs of identity fraud
- Change any passwords the scammer may have learned during the interaction
- Enable two-factor authentication on your email and any accounts the scammer had access to
Report it
- Report to your national fraud/cybercrime service
- Report to the platform, bank, or provider involved
- Keep any reference numbers you're given
Money transfers via Western Union or MoneyGram are difficult to recover once collected, but a stop request submitted before collection is sometimes successful. Both providers have fraud departments and cooperation agreements with law enforcement. The FTC settlement fund previously provided refunds to Western Union fraud victims — register with the FTC to stay informed of any future compensation schemes.
Common scams using these services include romance scams, grandparent scams, lottery scams, and emergency-relative impersonation. Any request to send money via Western Union or MoneyGram to someone you have not met in person should be treated as a serious scam indicator.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly do scammers collect Western Union or MoneyGram transfers?
In many cases, very quickly — often within minutes to a few hours of transfer, particularly in high-volume fraud destination countries. This is why calling the provider immediately is critical. The sooner you call, the greater the chance the funds have not yet been collected.
I was told to send multiple smaller transfers to avoid detection — does that affect my options?
Each transfer is a separate transaction with its own MTCN. Contact the provider with all MTCNs to attempt stops on each one. Report every individual transaction to the fraud authority, as structuring to avoid detection is a known scam tactic and may be relevant to law enforcement.