Question on red flag WU

freebie · Feb 4, 2007

can a person get red flag from Western Union if he/she collects multiple WU pickups every week?

Example: picking up $800-$900 WU 3 times a week from different WU location.
Will they know it's the same person keep picking up money every week? I ask this is because, when you pickup the cash. You have to present driver's license to them with an address and they type the info into their computer (I think)

Thanks in Advance.

BetNowThankLater · Feb 4, 2007

Yes, the official Western Union policy states that they will red flag you if your TOTAL transactions for one week are over $2,000.

freebie · Feb 4, 2007

okay thanks, but do you have any info on the amount for a month?

Or do they just calculate the TOTAL transaction for a week?
thanks again.

BetNowThankLater · Feb 4, 2007

freebie said:
okay thanks, but do you have any info on the amount for a month?

Or do they just calculate the TOTAL transaction for a week?
thanks again.

$2000 per week

catsfan · Feb 5, 2007

What happens if you are red flagged?

Brooklynbomber · Feb 5, 2007

catsfan said:
What happens if you are red flagged?

You are fucked.

I started a thread about a month ago my partner who is red flagged.

Dude was telling me yesterday that he tried to send $100 WU to his friend who was having car troubles out of state. The transaction went through when he sent it, but when his buddy tried to pick it up it declined and WU flat out told him the sender was blacklisted and was no longer ever able to send money via WU.

My partner was able to return to where he sent it and reclaim the money, but it put a dent in thier friendship.

Brooklynbomber · Feb 5, 2007

Also....while you can send up to $500 (used to be $1K) at WU without showing ID, most books require the senders name to match that of the online account holder.

Heritage is one book that will allow you to send money from another name, so if one is blacklisted at WU you can always send $500 a pop to Heritage...

Journeyman · Feb 5, 2007

BetNowThankLater said:
Yes, the official Western Union policy states that they will red flag you if your TOTAL transactions for one week are over $2,000.

I have been paid out monday thru friday a dime a day several times...never been flagged yet.

I know some guys have though...it may be random.

Journeyman · Feb 5, 2007

thejdog said:
Also....while you can send up to $500 (used to be $1K) at WU without showing ID, most books require the senders name to match that of the online account holder.

Heritage is one book that will allow you to send money from another name, so if one is blacklisted at WU you can always send $500 a pop to Heritage...

When did that rule $500 without ID change?

Brooklynbomber · Feb 6, 2007

Journeyman said:
When did that rule $500 without ID change?

J-man apparantly $1000 is still the "official" cutoff....but as of late alot of transfers to Central America are getting flagged by WU and the operator gets a pop-up telling them the senders ID is required.

$500 and less you are usually good, but maybe 1% of the time they get flagged for ID too....

I will make a prediction that ALL WU transfers will require ID very shortly.

michael777 · Feb 6, 2007

i sent $900 last week,no id

knicknut · Feb 6, 2007

If someone sends you a few thousand, are you allowed to pick up less than that at any given time, both for safety reasons and to prevent being flagged?

Journeyman · Feb 6, 2007

thejdog said:
J-man apparantly $1000 is still the "official" cutoff....but as of late alot of transfers to Central America are getting flagged by WU and the operator gets a pop-up telling them the senders ID is required.

$500 and less you are usually good, but maybe 1% of the time they get flagged for ID too....

I will make a prediction that ALL WU transfers will require ID very shortly.

I thought it might happen too eventually but not sure WU can do that across the board....the under 1k no ID has been that way fo as long as I have been sending money OS (10 years)

MrCleo · Feb 6, 2007

it all depends on the specific location where you are sending money from if they ask for ID. if you are in the D.C. area, all the liquor stores in dc that offer WU have never asked me for I.D. most of the places in the suburbs will though

Journeyman · Feb 6, 2007

knicknut said:
If someone sends you a few thousand, are you allowed to pick up less than that at any given time, both for safety reasons and to prevent being flagged?

no...if you have hardly ever used WU, you have nothing to worry about being flagged, people use WU all the time, millions of transactions.

a couple dimes is microscopic, and even if you were flagged , I don't even see the big deal in the absolute worst case scenario, you get flagged the ask to see your ID and ask you a question like where you work...that's it.

Journeyman · Feb 6, 2007

MrCleo said:
it all depends on the specific location where you are sending money from if they ask for ID. if you are in the D.C. area, all the liquor stores in dc that offer WU have never asked me for I.D. most of the places in the suburbs will though

if it's under a dime they never will...that is the difference, over YES, under NO.

Dubpoet · Feb 6, 2007

Its fine line between flagged and free Sears Gift Cards.

MrCleo · Feb 6, 2007

there are places that its policy to ask for ID regardless of the amount being sent. the place right next door to my office building requires it per their policy. currency exchange places as well

buddyboy · Feb 6, 2007

fellas,

the reason one guy says $500 a day and another says $2000 a week and yet another guy says no limit at all, is EACH state regulates money transfer companies differently.

Most states require money transfer services to be registered, and as you can imagine your millage will vary.

try a google for: msb laws for your state

or go to your states website and search it for money transmittal businesses.

some states have searchable databases of every money transmittal company registered with the state and their locations... comes in handy if you got to spread it around.

Jetplane · Feb 9, 2007

My business does WU and we check ID on *ALL* incoming and outgoing. Maybe we just enacted it just because we got had for $400 when cashing some Mexican's "paycheck" but ID or no ID... you're gonna have to show it if you want to receive regardless.