HARRISBURG — The Office of Attorney General is releasing a video today that highlights the personal story of Glenn Parks, a Manheim PA resident who lost a large sum of money when he and his wife were duped by a scam artist into sending funds through a Western Union telegram.
Mr. Parks appears in the video with Attorney General Shapiro released today. You can see and use the video here.
In the video, Mr. Parks explains how he and his wife sent their “whole bank account” to a scam artist, the Jamaican lottery, through telegrams using Western Union.
Investigators believe Mr. and Mrs. Parks lost in excess of $200,000 as a result of the scam. Attorney General Shapiro made the video with Mr. Parks to publicize the settlement announced this week among 48 states, including Pennsylvania, and Western Union.
As part of the settlement, Western Union has agreed to pay a total of $5 million to the states involved in the litigation for states’ costs and fees. Pennsylvania will receive a portion of that total, yet to be determined. In addition to this settlement with the states, Western Union also settled claims related to fraud-induced transfers with the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice. As part of those settlements, Western Union has agreed to pay $586 million to a fund that the Department of Justice will administer to provide refunds to victims of fraud induced wire transfers nationwide, including Pennsylvania victims. Of the $586 million, Pennsylvania consumers may be eligible for up to $21.5 million in restitution.
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