(originally published August 2012)
The news Tuesday that Grace Kennedy Money Services had to close all Western Union outlets in St. James shouldn’t come as much surprise. After all, the parish has been the hub of the “Lotto Scam” for the better part of the last five years.
This latest move by Western Union will no doubt hurt their legitimate customers much more than the scammers themselves, who have the resources to move to another parish to facilitate their illicit dealings. On the face of it, the move seems harsh. Does Grace Kennedy and Western Union not care enough about their customers to find a way to deal with the problem without closing 13 branches all at once?
To answer this question we have to examine the issue with as much objectivity as possible. This will be hard to do if you reside in St. James and have no choice but to make the arduous journey to a neighbouring parish to collect money, possibly spending some of it in the process. But if you look carefully at this business of scamming, not only at the victims, but at the long term damage to the country’s reputation and ultimately the negative effect on the economy, then it is clear that any gains from such activities are short lived and will only benefit a few. The rest of us will be left with the hefty tab of repairing the country’s image, while a few hoodlums will be having money parties at Dead End Beach.
We believe Western Union and Grace Kennedy does care about its customers; and the company has had to revise its remittance policies time and time again to protect the interests of its legitimate customers. We expect that with this closure, the company will take the time to implement measures that will weed out the scammers and protect innocent grandmas who just want their prescription money.
So when W-U reopens, please bear two things in mind: one, be prepared to undergo a rigorous interrogation process to collect your remittances; and two, blame the scammers. No-one can teach integrity, much less Western Union.