Steven Cohen  |  October 7, 2019

Category: Legal News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against The Western Union Company by a customer who claims that the company did not protect him against fraudulent money transfers.

Plaintiff Moses Luemba, a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), says that he has been using Western Union to send money to his family in the DRC. He alleges that he chose Western Union because he thought that it provided a reliable and secure way to send these funds.

The plaintiff claims that on Aug. 2, 2019, he purchased a Western Union “Money Transfer” worth $1,400 at a Rite Aid store in Pittsburgh. He states that he purchased the transfer during a telephone call with Western Union and he told the representative how much he wanted to send, the name of the person for whom the money was intended, and the place where he wanted the funds sent.

The Western Union class action lawsuit states that the plaintiff was provided with a temporary password, which he presented to the cashier at the Rite Aid store, who completed the transaction and provided the plaintiff with a receipt.

Luemba says that he sent the recipient of the transfer, his brother, an “MTCN” number so that he would be able to claim the money in at the Expected Payout Location in the DRC. The plaintiff alleges that when his brother went to pick up his money, and provided the “MTCN” number, he was told that the number was not valid.

The plaintiff states that he and his brother determined that the MTCN number was invalid because the transfer had already been paid out by a company called Kin Distribution. They also came to the conclusion that the money had been paid to an imposter who had provided Kin Distribution with the MTCN number and a forged ID and received the money.

The Western Union class action lawsuit claims that when the plaintiff contacted Western Union, he was told that they would investigate what happened. After the investigation, the plaintiff claims that Western Union determined that the funds were delivered to the correct person and that they had closed the investigation.

The Western Union class action lawsuit claims that the loss that the plaintiff suffered was “foreseeable” to Western Union.

“The applicable federal statute and regulations provide that a remittance transfer provider is liable for such an error ‘unless the failure to make the funds available resulted from . . . [e]xtraordinary circumstances that could not have been reasonably anticipated,’” the Western Union class action lawsuit claims.

The plaintiff says the “fraudulent pick up” should not be construed as an extraordinary circumstance because it is not included in the official definition of “extraordinary circumstance” as defined by federal law.

The Western Union class action lawsuit states that, “Upon information and belief, Western Union itself has long recognized the risk of fraudulent pick-up with respect to international remittance transfers.”

The plaintiff has filed claims for damages under the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, declaratory and injunctive relief.

Did you send money via Western Union and the money was picked up illegally? Leave a message in the comments section below.

The plaintiff is represented by Adrian N. Roe and Michael D. Simon of Roe & Simon LLC.

The Western Union Class Action Lawsuit is Moses Luemba v. The Western Union Company, Case No. 2:19-cv-01243, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


65 thoughts onWestern Union Class Action Alleges Fraudulent Pick-Up of Money Transfer

  1. Nancy talavera says:

    Me urge q se comuniquen conmigo es por robò de mis envíos de dinero

  2. John Gage says:

    Yes. I can’t remember how many times I sent money and was told by Western Union that it had already been picked up when the only way it could have been was for Western Union not to check the ID of whoever picked it up or allow its agents to merely misappropriate my funds.

  3. Jacobe thompson says:

    I sent my mother money in the Philippines and she went to check the tracking number on her phone and it said it was picked up but she didn’t even leave the house. She lives in Baguio i called western Union and the rep said it was picked up in Manila which is a 8 hour drive there i sent the money at 9:30 it was picked up at 9:45 rep said the cashier must of accidentally cashed it out now I’m getting the run about keep getting transferred to every single person working in the call center

1 5 6 7

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. By submitting your comment and contact information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Top Class Actions regarding this and/or similar lawsuits or settlements, and/or to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. Required fields are marked *

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.