Consumer complaint received 2026-05-31 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Money order, traveler's check or cashier's check
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: WESTERN UNION COMPANY, THE
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint against Western Union regarding stolen and fraudulently cashed Western Union money orders totaling {$11000.00}. In XX/XX/year>, my wallet and identifying documents were stolen while I was at XXXX XXXX during a family medical crisis and while I was already grieving. The wallet contained 12 blank Western Union money orders totaling {$11000.00} that were intended for rent. The money orders were later fraudulently cashed by unauthorized parties. This was not simply lost cash. Western Union may describe a money order as similar to cash, but similar does not mean identical. A Western Union money order is a traceable financial instrument with a serial number, issuer records, front/back images, and a formal forgery affidavit process. Western Union can not treat these instruments as traceable when requiring affidavits and paperwork, then treat them as untraceable cash when avoiding reimbursement. I began Western Unions forgery/money order claim process in XX/XX/year>. Between XXXX and XX/XX/year>, I repeatedly submitted and resubmitted the documentation Western Union requested, including forgery affidavits, police documentation, ID documents, money order information, and supporting materials. I also sent a large packet of documentation in an effort to comply. Western Unions own correspondence confirms it received my forgery affidavit materials. However, on XX/XX/year>, Western Union refused to process the documents because the Intended Payee line is not completed. That rejection reason is unreasonable because the money orders were stolen blank. Requiring a completed intended payee line under those facts created an impossible or unreasonable condition and trapped my claim in a procedural stalemate after months of compliance. After months of already submitting and resubmitting documents, Western Union effectively required me to start over and resubmit the paperwork again instead of giving me a clear money-order-by-money-order deficiency list or a reasonable path to resolution. That final request to repeat the entire process after I had already sent extensive documentation was the breaking point. I was already grieving and under severe stress from the hospital theft, the rent loss, and the unresolved {$11000.00} claim. Western Unions repeated back-and-forth, unclear requirements, and demand that I redo the process contributed to a mental health breakdown. I ultimately had to take mental health leave from work, and the continued fallout contributed to employment harm. This unresolved {$11000.00} loss caused severe financial harm, including rent-related damage, credit damage, instability, mental health deterioration, mental health leave from work, and employment harm. I am requesting CFPB review because Western Union has failed to fairly resolve a documented stolen and fraudulently cashed money order claim despite repeated submissions and police/FTC documentation.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation