Question by Makoa: Can I use Western Unions International Transfer service to send money from my Wells Fargo account to Russia?
It’s for someone in Russia who’s doing me a service. Their bank doesn’t accept international transfers and they can only use the Western Union International Transfer Service for these type of things.
Answers and Views:
Answer by bdancer222
Are you sure you are not being scammed? Requiring Western Union as the only way to pay is a big red flag.
Read all the answers in the comments.
What do you think?
Buffy Staffordshire says
100% scam.
That scammer is lying to you, banks in Russia accept international transfers. That scammer only wants your cash.
All anyone needs to send money is:
1) A first and last name to use on the form as the sender's name
2) A first and last name to use on the form as the receiver's name
3) Money
All anyone needs to pick up the cash is:
1) The first and last name used on the form as the sender's name
2) The first and last name used on the form as the receiver's name
3) The eight or ten digit money transfer control number (MTCN#)
4) The test question and answer
And, all too frequently, only one or 2 of above listed requirements are actually needed to pick up the cash and disappear.
That is it, no ID required.
If you are:
1) sending money as part of a work-at-home job
2) buying from craigslist/kijiji/forum/website
3) buying a pet or car/truck/trailer/motorhome/caravan
4) helping an online boy/girlfriend or refugee
5) paying taxes/fees on a loan/lottery/draw/government grant
6) paying visa/bank/airline/travel fees
7) paying deposit/rent for an apartment/house
8) paying banker/barrister/lawyer/court fees
9) paying a transportation/courier/shipping company
10) receiving/forwarding money onto someone or some company
Then you are being scammed.
Just keep in mind that Western Union and moneygram are unsafe and unsecure ways to send money.
Western Union and moneygram do not verify anything on the form the sender fills out, not the name, not the street address, not the country, not even the gender of the receiver, it all means absolutely nothing. The clerk will not bother to check ID and will simply hand off the cash to whomever walks in the door with the MTCN# and question/answer. Neither company will tell the sender who picked up the cash, at what store location or even in what country the money walked out the door. Neither company has any kind of refund policy, money sent is money gone forever.
If you google "Western Union payment scam", "fake Russian website scam", "Russian romance scam" or something similar you will find hundreds of posts from victims and near-victims who lost money via Western Union and moneygram.