Western Union Money Withdrawn Without My Authorization

On September 22, 2026, at around 4:36 PM, I went to Ziraat Bank Malatya Yeşilyurt Branch to withdraw CHF 1,000 that had been sent to me through Western Union. I informed the bank employee that I wanted to complete the transaction, and I was told that the money was pending approval in the system and that I needed to contact customer service before I could withdraw it. During the transaction, I did not even provide my regular national ID card; I only presented my attorney identification card. I did not sign any documents, and I was not given any paperwork.

After leaving the branch, I got into my car and called Western Union at 4:53 PM. I was then told that the money, which I had just been informed was still pending approval at the branch, had already been withdrawn within that very short period of time. Despite the extremely short time difference, I was not given a clear explanation as to how or by whom the money had been withdrawn. At that point, I suspected that my personal information and Western Union tracking details had been obtained and used by third parties as a result of a security breach. I immediately called both Ziraat Bank and VakıfBank, canceled my cards, and filed the necessary complaints.

Following this incident, I went to another Ziraat Bank branch located on Malatya Çevre Yolu, across from Matim İş Merkezi and underneath Osmanlı Plaza. Although the branch had already closed, I caught an employee who was leaving and explained the situation. I told them that Western Union had said the money had already been withdrawn and asked how this could have happened. I was told that sometimes, due to employee errors or technical issues, a transaction may appear as though the money has been withdrawn, and that no one could withdraw the money without my identification. I was given assurances about this, and the explanation provided some temporary relief.

Later, when we contacted Western Union again from both Türkiye and Switzerland, we were informed that the money had been withdrawn from another Western Union partner location in Malatya approximately 10 minutes after I left the branch. During phone calls, Western Union representatives verified the last four digits of my national identification number and the last four digits of my ID serial number and explicitly stated that the person who withdrew the money was not me and that the information did not match. Despite this, the fact that the money could be withdrawn within such a short period of time using what appears to have been a copy of my identity, as though the person conducting the transaction were me, demonstrates a very serious security vulnerability on Western Union's side.

The money had been pending in the system under my name for approximately 6–7 days. If this had simply been a technical fraud method, it could have been withdrawn much earlier during that period. Instead, the fact that the money was withdrawn from another location only about 10 minutes after I went to the bank and provided my identification information makes me suspect that the information leak occurred after I entered the bank and initiated the transaction, and that your systems were not sufficiently secure against this type of incident. Because my personal information and the money sent in my name were obtained by third parties in this manner, I have suffered significant inconvenience, financial loss, and a serious loss of trust.

Regarding this incident, I have filed a criminal complaint with the Malatya Chief Public Prosecutor's Office against both the bank and Western Union representatives. If my phone records and the security camera footage along my route are examined, it will clearly be seen that I was continuously traveling and never got out of my vehicle at the time the money was withdrawn. Western Union has already acknowledged that I was not the person who withdrew the money and that the identification information did not match. Given all of these circumstances, I would like to emphasize that such a serious security vulnerability is unacceptable, that I will continue pursuing this matter with both the bank and Western Union, and that I will never use Western Union again for international money transfers. I request that Western Union conduct a detailed investigation of all security camera footage and transaction logs related to this incident, clearly identify the person who withdrew the money and the method used, provide me with a written explanation of the source of the security vulnerability, and refund the full CHF 1,000 sent to me, together with interest calculated for each day of delay in making the payment at the highest interest rate applicable to deposits. Otherwise, I hereby notify you that I will pursue all available legal remedies and file a lawsuit to recover the entirety of my losses and all related damages.