United States v. MoneyGram International

CLOSED CRIMINAL DIVISION CASES

United States v. MoneyGram International
Court Docket Number: 1:12-cr-00291 (M.D. Pa.)

MoneyGram International, Inc. (MoneyGram), a global money services business headquartered in Dallas, Texas, has agreed to forfeit $100 million to the United States and enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department. The agreements arose from MoneyGram's involvement in mass marketing and consumer fraud which caused tens of thousands of persons to lose money from "advance fee" schemes and similar scams. The Justice Department will return the forfeited funds to the victims of the fraud through its Victim Asset Recovery Program.

The scams, which generally targeted the elderly and other vulnerable persons, were committed by falsely promising victims they would receive large cash prizes, falsely offering various high-ticket items for sale over the Internet at deeply discounted prices, falsely promising employment opportunities as "secret shoppers," and placing distressed phone calls falsely posing as the victim's relative and claiming to be in trouble and in urgent need of money. In each case, the perpetrators required the victims to send them advance money through MoneyGram's money transfer system in order to receive a promised product or service. The victims never received what they were promised.