FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :    Thursday, September 5, 2013
CONTACT:  Sara Rabern (605)773-3215   

 
MoneyGram to Return Money to Eligible Consumers

PIERRE, S.D  -  Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a settlement has been entered with MoneyGram International, Inc. (MoneyGram), which makes certain MoneyGram customers eligible to receive funds back. MoneyGram has agreed to the forfeiture of $100 million, which the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has forfeited in order to return the funds back to eligible consumers.  The agreements arose from MoneyGram's involvement in mass marketing and consumer fraud causing tens of thousands of individuals to lose money from "advance fee" schemes and similar scams. 
Certain MoneyGram customers will be eligible to get their money back if they fulfill the following requirements:
• Sent money using MoneyGram between January 1, 2004 and August 31, 2009.
• Sent money in the United States or Canada to a payee in the United States or Canada.
• Lost money because of fraud - the customer must have been defrauded into sending the money i.e. promising victims they would receive a large cash prize, purchasing high-ticket items for sale at discounted rates over the internet and never receiving or secret shopper scams.
Claim letters were mailed to known victims in July of 2013.  If consumers did not receive a petition letter and you lost money as a result of the MoneyGram schemes between the designated time frames from 2004 through 2009, and believe you are a victim, you will need to complete and submit a Remission Form that has to be postmarked no later than November 15, 2013.   The following contact information should be used to obtain the Remission Form:
Toll-free number (United States Only): 877-282-2610
http://gilardi.com/moneygram/
If you have any additional questions regarding this agreement, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at consumerhelp@state.sd.us.

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