Question about Western Union

[gamex]

I am looking to buy some wholesale items online. The person I am looking to purchase from (as well as a few others) have said they only prefer to use Western Union to receive their payments. The problem is that Western Union doesn't really offer any protection to the buyer. I asked the people this and they told me to send the money via WU to their address, but send it to a different name, like a friend's, wife's, etc, this way they can verify the money was in fact sent, but they cant collect it because they don't have proper ID. About three people replied and told me this. Will this work? Can I even change the recipients name a week or two later at Western Union?

UPDATE: Just thought I would let everyone know I have been doing some research and this doesnt not seem to be a very secure way to send money.

Joe

 

[Walter]

i never had any problems with western union (knock on wood) and i've used it quite some times.. you can also select in what way you want people to id themselves and in case something doesn't go right you can cancel the xfer within a day or something..

 

[The Equivocate]

I would not trust Western Union at all, its not safe enough IMO. It seems way too easy to screw someone over, and if even I could do it, anyone could.

 

[gamex]

Walter, were you paying someone for items? Did you send it and then once they got it they shipped? I am skeptical because the guy is from Italy and I have seen some things about how when they say to put someone elses name as the recipient it is more than likely a scam. I am probably going to tell them that I will only use escrow or paypal and if they dont want to use those then I am not buying from them. I'm not going to risk $500.

Joe

 

[vip-ip]

Gamex,
I'm looking towards buying something wholesale, too, I contacted "suppliers" like this. When they tell you to send to their address but a different name, know that it's a 100% scam.
Here's why:

1. What can I do to protect myself?


Make sure you know to whom you are sending money. Only transfer money to someone you know personally or whose identity you can verify!

If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, it is your responsibility to verify the reputation and legitimacy of the seller. Western Union is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services.

Do not send money using a fictitious recipient’s name. This will not protect you when purchasing from someone you don’t know.

Remember that Western Union does not require a receiver to present a money transfer control number (MTCN) to pick up funds.

Discontinue a call if a caller instructs you on how to respond to questions asked by Western Union.

Ask yourself:
- Who is this person?
- Does this money have to be sent immediately?
- Does this offer sound too good to be true?

Security is everyone's responsibility. Stay informed. Keep abreast of consumer fraud trends. A few excellent sources of information include your local newspaper and websites hosted by the United States' Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) and the National Association of Attorney's General (www.naag.org).

Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

(c) http://www.westernunion.com/info/faqSecurity.asp
I looked this up today as I received a very too-good-to-be-true offer from an Italian seller accepting only WU. Found this quote, saved me from a lot of trouble.


Hope this helps ya.

 

[gamex]

Vip, yea, I sent you that list, remember? Hehe. Anyway, there were a lot of offers in Italy that are too good to be true. I looked up one of the addresses and it was a Neurologist center or something. I am now trying to find people within the US who can accept Paypal/Escrow so they cant use the excuse "I can't use paypal here" and this way I am protected.

Thanks for all of the info.

Joe

 

[gamex]

UPDATE: The guy emails me today saying he has a contract with Venture-Exchange whose website is located at http://www.special-exchange.com .... yea ok. For the hell of it I went to ventura-exchange.com and found that that account was suspended. I then did a whois on the domain special-exchange.com and found it was registered March 17, 2005! Just another fake escrow service out there. I just told the guy that I dont understand how he could register with this site and get a "contract" with them in the first week they have been around, but he cant get a "contract" or sign up with escrow. Its amazing how stupid this guy thinks I am.

 

[snoop]

western union is commonly used by domain thieves.