Recommendation

Caution

Overall Summary

Suspicious

Why we think so

Western Union is a long-established financial service offering international money transfers, with a high monthly traffic volume around 10 million visits, mostly from the United States. Their website employs multiple trusted technologies including Adobe Analytics, Akamai CDN, and strong security certificates. Official locations and customer service contacts are widely available, supporting legitimacy. However, Western Union has a documented history of fraud exploitation by scammers using its system for wire fraud schemes, leading to a large 2017 settlement where the company paid $586 million to refund victimized customers. While the website itself is legitimate and secure, users should exercise caution sending money only to trusted parties, as fraud risks remain significant due to misuse of the platform by criminals.

Confidence Score

83%

Risk Insights

✅

Legitimate Brand, High Traffic

Western Union is well-known and widely used internationally.

Website receives over 10 million monthly visits.

Technology and security measures are robust.

⚠️

History of Fraud Exploitation

Scammers extensively exploited Western Union’s transfer system.

2017 $586 million settlement to refund fraud victims.

User caution is critical to avoid losing money on scams.

🛡️

Fraud Prevention Efforts In Place

Company now enforces stronger compliance and anti-fraud controls.

Official fraud resources and hotlines exist to help users.

Phishing warnings provided to reduce impersonation risks.

Contradictory Signals

The domain’s legitimacy contrasts with its exploitation for scams.

Signal A: Domain is secure and officially registered by Western Union Holdings Inc.

Signal B: Western Union has a history of legal issues related to fraud and poor oversight.

Category Scores

Identity 90/100

Reputation 65/100

Technical 85/100

Content 80/100

Legal 40/100

Business Validity 90/100

Red Flags & Warnings

Confirmed history of the platform being exploited by scams with government-enforced $586 million settlement.
Ongoing reports of phishing and fraud attempts targeting users pretending to be from Western Union.
Legal and consumer disputes highlight past compliance failures in fraud prevention and anti-money laundering.

🔎 Detailed Checks & Analysis

Domain Registration & SSL Validation

Score: 90/100

Passed

"Strong domain history and valid certificates indicate legitimacy and security."

Reason: Domain registered since 1995 with MarkMonitor and SSL certificate from COMODO is valid and not expiring soon.

Traffic Volume & Source Quality

Score: 85/100

Passed

"High traffic ranking (#3,832 globally) supports trust and reputation."

Reason: Monthly visits are around 10 million with majority direct and organic search traffic, typical for a major financial service.

Technology & Infrastructure

Score: 90/100

Passed

"Professional tech stack supports operational reliability."

Reason: Use of reputable analytics, advertising, security, and CDN providers like Adobe, Akamai, and Cloudflare.

Contact Information & Physical Presence

Score: 80/100

Passed

"Transparency in contacts and physical footprint adds to trustworthiness."

Reason: Multiple verified phone numbers, official email addresses, and numerous physical branch locations confirmed.

Fraud & Legal History

Score: 40/100

Failed

"Ongoing risks from fraud and regulatory challenges require caution."

Reason: Historical issues of fraud exploitation leading to the company admitting aiding wire fraud and paying $586M settlement.

Blacklist & Security Threats

Score: 90/100

Passed

"Currently no direct blacklist threats to domain safety."

Reason: No blacklisting or phishing detected by Google Safe Browsing or crypto scam databases.

Your Next Steps

1

Avoid sending money to unknown or unverified recipients via westernunion.com to reduce exposure to scams.
2

Verify any refund offers related to Western Union only through official government and company channels to avoid phishing scams.
3

Report suspicious emails impersonating Western Union to spoof@westernunion.com immediately.
4

If victimized between 2004 and 2017, check eligibility for refund claims under the official DOJ and FTC settlement programs.
5

Use Western Union's official fraud resources and hotlines for guidance on preventing and reporting fraud.

Evidence & Citations

FTC Refunds for Western Union Scam Victims
Official FTC site detailing the settlement and refunds to victims of fraud using Western Union.
Western Union Admits to Anti-Money Laundering Violations
United States Department of Justice release explaining the $586 million settlement with Western Union.
Western Union Technology Profile on SimilarTech
Independent technological and traffic profile confirming business legitimacy and infrastructure.
Western Union WHOIS and SSL Details
Registrar and SSL certificate verification confirming authenticity and ownership.

🕵🏻 Keep investigating

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