· If you lost money to a scam that involved a Western Union wire transfer between Jan. 1, 2004 and Jan. 19, 2017, you have until Feb. 12, 2018, to submit a claim here and see if you’re eligible for a refund. Why? The government found that Western Union had aided and abetted scammers’ wire fraud efforts. Common cons involving wire transfers include lottery scams, grandparent scams, romance scams and so many more ways of tricking you to give up your money!