Western Union hopes to enable mobile money transfers, scammers rejoice

Just when you thought those Nigerian scammers were simply running out of avenues to coerce you into cashing some counterfeit check for $4.98 billion, along comes this. Western Union is apparently buddying up with 35 or so cellphone operators to "develop a system that would allow consumers to transfer money from country to country via their mobile phones." Reportedly, the outfit has successfully tested the service in a number of US cities, and if everything goes as planned, it could launch in Q2 of 2008. Notably, it still sounds like an actual human will be a part of the process, as the system will purportedly "connect the user to a company operator to complete the transaction." Quite frankly, we appreciate the convenience of such a service, but don't you go falling for any sappy stories of long-lost cousins needing your help to funnel in millions as you ride to work, alright?

[waiownsyou @ Oct 19th 2007 7:03AM]

LOL @ future Nigerian scams

"i wood like two congratulates you on your winning lottery ticket. please reply to me swiftly as i need your to send money of confirmation by western union money transfer mobile to me in nigeria so i can print a check the size from a giraffe's neck. please do so with great agility as i have aids and i cannot write a check during my death."

[N30 G30 @ Oct 19th 2007 7:36AM]

LOL!

I wouldn't be suprised. I've read worse.

[Liam Billington @ Oct 19th 2007 7:16AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=372Ah0Z_L1w

The above youtube video explains everything.

[Chris Robinson @ Oct 19th 2007 10:47AM]

There is no prize draw here.

[L. Cyphre @ Oct 19th 2007 7:35AM]

Meh, and this is different from using PayPal how? The medium's not the problem, the idiots are.

[joseph @ Oct 19th 2007 7:37AM]

I once got 12 checks from one of these guys, each for $750, in exchange for my pentium 2 laptop that I was selling on ebay. - I mailed him an official looking Dell box.. inside? 15 of my baby's smellies, fullest poopi diapers. I can only imagine what it smelled like by the time it made it off the barge

[L. Cyphre @ Oct 19th 2007 7:58AM]

*applauds*

[suv4x4 @ Oct 19th 2007 8:46AM]

I can see virtually any Japanese yawn at this news.

But good to see the rest of the world is catching up nonetheless (which is where I am as well).

[blueforce4116 @ Oct 19th 2007 3:27PM]

To be honest this is not really a useful feature (well to me anyway), and that is probably why it has not been implamented in the US thus far. IMHO it costs way too much money to use Western Union money transfers. Now paypal on a mobile phone would be nice ;-).

[omega @ Oct 19th 2007 8:47AM]

Its a prepaid mobile phone service called Trumpet Mobile. I think its only sold at Radioshack and Currency Exchanges. At my RS store we got it in, its a MVNO that runs on Sprints CDMA network. You can have a family line where the main account line controls how money is used in the system, and anyone on Trumpet can transfer money to another user of Trumpet, via Western Union.

[blueforce4116 @ Oct 19th 2007 3:27PM]

Yea we are pushing that trumpet mobile crap at my radioshack too. According to the trumpet reps we can use the Western Union feature right now, but to be honest thy were morons, and really dident know what was going on. they barely could answer simple questions. If you want my opinion stay away from trumpet mobile...something is just not right when you have to give your entire social security number to the store for a friggin prepay phone.

[bombastinator @ Oct 19th 2007 11:22AM]

prepaid service no less. Joy.

It used to be if someone stole your phone he had to empty your account slowly by selling low price long distance calls to illegal immigrants, now they can just empty it.

Western Union doesn't more convenient products they need higher security ones. If they had something more secure than paypal they could pwn.

[Josh @ Oct 19th 2007 11:08AM]

Interesting. If they do it right, this would be a great thing I think, especially for those of us who use Western Union quite a bit.

But they definitely do have to limit the allowable countries in there, so no Nigeria.

I know cash on cellphones is a pretty alien concept here in North America, but I have used it with much success in the Philippines for paying bills and LRT/Transit tickets and it was actually pretty convenient. So if they do this right, this would be pretty cool.

[blueforce4116 @ Oct 19th 2007 3:26PM]

I work at Radioshack, and we just started selling some crappy prepay phone called trumpet mobile. Apparently you can already do wireless western union money transfers with that phone. IDK if that was just the babbling of the trumpet mobile reps, but that one of the features that they are pushing as ready to go now. now I have no idea if this is true as that I have never, and will never use trumpet mobile, but I just thought I would mention it.

[gordon @ Oct 28th 2007 2:48AM]

Everyone's using simple solutions to enable mobile commerce. Sadly using the proper security tools for mobile transactions is being overlooked.

[wallacethecat @ Oct 29th 2007 11:28AM]

i just got the email to send the product (blackberry 8700 thru craigslist) they said my Western Union money order is ready to be picked up.

I am going out to my yard, find the largest piece of dog POO, and send it to this guy. i dont care how much shipping is. it is for my own pure satisfaction. in fact i am going to make it my mission in life to send an American stinky piece of dog crap to every craiglist scammer i come across...beware.