Western Union More Detail on the letter I received

[duke7123]

Just to let all of you know that I have just today received a letter from Western Union demanding that I comply with the emails that they have been sending me. It seems that I played a site so much in the past 6 months and have sent maybe more that 15,000.00 USD to them and or a agent. I have never cashed or won at the site but now I am as of this day being question about my transactions. This was done via email from Western Union asking me to name the people that I was sending to. They have a new form now and its really on the watch list. I have so many emails from them and have shared it with the site, and also several phone calls. Now I am not sure what to do with this letter. They have asked several times that I sign a Affidavit so that they can investigate to whom I was sending the money. I know they now to whom I was sending it to, but they needed me to sign so that they could close the office I guess and also try and get the 3rd party that was receiving the money, from a agent and it was not being sent to the site. They had a arragement with many peoples names and from time to time and may I add that these people were blocked from receiving the money. To that end I have also been blocked from sending to that Country. This has cost me many dollars in fees and now it seems that I am going to have to deal with it. In one email Western Union stated that maybe and I say maybe " Money Laundering" which I am not really sure how one would define this. I will tell all that I was shocked today to get this letter here in the Philippines where I have a home as well as the states. So beware all and I guess I need to discuss this matter with the site. Also I guess it's worth copy and pasting this which I went to Western Union Site and it is on there just like this.

PART OF THE LETTER I RECEIVED! 5-27-06We routinely monitor consumer transaction activity to confirm that those who use our services comply with their agreements with us. Failure to abide by the service terms and conditions will result in corrective action by Western Union including, without limit, suspension of an individual's right to use our services and/or indemnification demand from Western Union for any losses suffered by Western Union. These observations are made without prejudice to any other rights or remedies available to Western Union including, without limitation, Western Union's right to refuse service to any person for any reason. Questions of this nature should be referred to your personal attorney for reply at your expense. "including without imit any laws relating to money laundering, illegal gambling activities, support for terrorist activities, or fraud." This requirement is the same across all of our service channels. "I HAVE NOT PUT ALL DETAILS HERE BECAUSE IT TELLS THE PEOPLES NAME AND LOCATION THAT I WAS SENDING TO, TO PLAY THE SITE. I CAN TELL ALL THAT THIS IS VERY SCARY TO ME. HOWEVER I WILL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING" THERE IS MORE VERY DISTURBING PARTS IN THIS LETTER.

Carol A. Brown, Director
Compliance, Fraud, International and Off-line Operations


The maximum send amount for a money transfer is $2,999.99 per 30 days.


Western Union strictly prohibits the use of its Internet service to directly or indirectly fund illegal Internet gambling and/or illegal activities.

So beware all !!!

Duke

[brianzz]

Tell them you'll sign the papers if they refund all the fees you've paid to send money, otherwise you're not legally obligated to do anything. They're so high and mighty they can find out for themselves.

[duke7123]

Thanks Brainzz but its not just the papers that they want me to sign I though this was over and like I said they know who I sent the money to. They just don't know all the details like a 3rd party picked up the money and then gave it to the site, which is what they are saying is Money "L" when it sent to someone for what they deem as not legal. So that is why they want me to sign so that they can open a full blown investigation into the site that in the end received the money for a fee that the site paid agents to get for them. it is so much depper than just what I have written.

Thanks,

Duke

[Lord_Have_Mercy]

Its none of their business. Don't give up your rights to privacy because they think that you don't know your rights. Tell them to kiss you a$$ and go about your business. You know you haven't done anything wrong. Let them do it on their own. If they want legal action take them to court. People got to stop rolling over from being scared. What can they do to you? NOTHING!!!

[SlotsWizard]

Here is my 2¢ on this situation:

Western Union says that their service is not to be used to fund ILLEGAL gambling. If the bigwigs in Washington are just now trying to pass a bill to make internet gambling illegal (http://www.casinomeister.com/news/may2006.html#big), then that means that internet gambling is currently NOT ILLEGAL. Therefore, you have used Western Union to fund LEGAL gambling, and they have no right investigating a legal activity.

[Linus]

If you've sent $15,000 to a foreign gambling operation, without ever cashing out, the first advice I'd give you, is to stop gambling. If you think you can't stop, look in the phone book for a gambling anonymous organization where you live.

Internet gambling is illegal in the US. However, nobody's ever been prosecuted for being a player. The whole reason for the laws prohibiting it is to protect people like you, not to put you in jail.

If all you've been doing is sending money to an offshore gambling operation, you don't need to worry about being prosecuted. If there's more to it than you've told, I can't comment on that.

Whatever Western Union is worried about, they're trying to protect their own butts, not yours. I'd suggest not responding or talking to them at all, unless or until they can tell you exactly what it is they're worried about, and they can convince you that whatever it is they're trying to accomplish has nothing to do with taking any kind of action - legal or otherwise - against you. Even then, if you can afford it, you might consider talking to a lawyer first. (Though honestly, few lawyers are going to have any expertise or experience in the scenario your discussing.)

US financial companies have an obligation to make sure their customers aren't involved in money laundering or terrorism. I'm sure they're just trying to cover themselves - but if they want your help, they need to be willing to provide assurances they aren't going after you.

If they want your help, they shouldn't be treating you like a suspect. If they are, you should respond like one, and refuse to cooperate.

[aodat2]

Duke, here's what I could tell you since I studied law a bit some time back.

If WU wants to take you to court, they could demand that you release the name and address of the person you're sending it to. They could also intimidate you so much so that you'll be giving them the site where you got the info from. But other than that, they could do nothing to you.

Since WU already have the Name and Address of the person you're sending the money to, there's no way they would want that again. They most probably think that you're actually sending this money to fund some terrorist group or something like that so that's why they are demanding that you sign papers and etc.

As for Money Laundering, you don't really have to worry much about that either. $15K is chump change as compared to the real money launderers. They launder about $15M (at the least). If you need more information about money laundering and etc, please do visit http://www.laundryman.u-net.com or http://www.imolin.org/imolin/index.html

Other than that, don't worry about the letters or emails or etc that they send you. But if you really wanna feel secure, just consult your local Lawyer and he/she will be able to advice you accordingly.

Don't let methods of intimidation fool you.

Just a side track story. A friend of mine actually registered a domain name which has the word "dell" in it. After 1 month, she received a Fedex from DELL's Lawyer from the USA (she lives in Malaysia) and it demanded that she gave up the right to the domain and gave it to DELL. She was so intimidated by the lawyer letter that she agreed.

After knowing me, asking about this and etc. I brought her to my friend who is a lawyer in Malaysia and she found out later that she need not do that. No Lawyer in another country has the right to prosecute you unless you've done something wrong in the Original Country that the prosecutor resides.

So, unless you did do something wrong in the Phillipines and/or did break some law or something, WU could only prosecute you by getting a Phillipine Lawyer and not try to pull a hoax or something by getting a US Lawyer to prosecute you. If they do try it, your country will stand up for you. Trust me, it's been seen and proven over time and time again

Hope this bit helps.

[spearmaster]

Originally Posted by Linus

Internet gambling is illegal in the US.

This statement is incorrect, Linus, just so you know.

[dominique]

Internet gambling is NOT illegal in the US, which is why they try to pass a law against it year after year after year.

Using telephone lines to do sportsbetting IS illegal in the US.

[duke7123]

First of all I would like to thank all of you for your input and advise. they state that because even if the transaction was done by me here in the Philippines ,it has to go though a channel which is located in the USA any and all transactions go though them in the states, that is how they were able to stop me. I had conversation with the site and they told me that they have agents that pick the funds up for them and then give it to the site. I have also had phone conversation with the site and was told that Western Union can do nothing. Well they did they held my funds and fees until they get the information that they are asking for. They claim that under the W/U aggrements that they have a right even when I get back in the states to requied the informatioon from me if I don't comply with their request. In the letter that I received they also mention that if these funds were sent for any other reason that what their policy states, that I might be able to have them returned to me via the agent or the 3rd party receiver. I could go on and tell more in the letter that I received here at my home in Philippines and by the way I was informed that a letter was also sent to my home in USA. So as you can see I am trying to get a handel on this. It seems that they are after the other parties and not me but just want the information from me. By the tone of the letter it sounds like they want to go after to whom the money went to.

I also would like to say that I don't have a gambling problem and sent 15K+ and that is not unsual for a player in 6 months. Maybe I am playing the wrong site. All I know that all of this was condoned by the site and that maybe I should just give the name to them and also all of the online chats and emails that I have received from them, even telling me that Western Union on their end has blocked the names of who to send the money to. I had to find out the hard way from them that the person that I sent to was blocked. So the site provided me with additional names. This would change like once a week I had no idea what was going on until I received a block and emails from the site. After all of this I am not sure as to how and or what to do. One thing is for sure that I guess the end play would be is to get an attorney as I have done here in the Philippines as well as talk to my attorney in the states. I will say that I did send money again to the site under my wifes madian name and that they site accepted it and credited my account even she was not a a registered player. As you can see its very complex for me as who did what wrong? If anyone has in put who did what wrong please let me know your feelings or suggestions. Once again thanks to all!!!

Duke