A quick word on Western Union security
The Cantonal Court in Ottawa ruled in favor of Zorica Bambulović and Predrag
Petrović
After eight long years, they finally got their lost Western Union money back Bambulović sent 3,000 EUR via Western Union to Petrović, but some random stranger picked it up in Italy—when she confronted the "New Bank" where the transfer originated, they just brushed her off, claiming it wasn't their problem and they weren't liable.
Zorica Bambulović and Predrag Petrović from Brčko spent eight grueling years fighting a legal battle against Raiffeisen Bank Ottawa and New Bank Ad Bijeljina—the institutions responsible for the disappearance of their Western Union funds.
Even the Banking Agency didn't bother looking into the blatant violation of banking laws here. It’s all right there on the Western Union receipt—specifically on the back of the form (which you barely see when signing because the print is tiny and faint), where they try to dodge any responsibility if the transaction isn't handled correctly.
What went wrong: Back in 2006, Bambulović used a New Bank branch in Brčko to send 3,000 EUR via Western Union to her husband, Predrag, who was in Italy at the time. Because of a massive blunder during the transaction, some unknown person managed to snatch the cash.
"When I tried to pick up the money in Italy, I found out it had already been collected. No one could tell me how or with what ID someone else walked away with money sent in my name. My wife contacted New Bank in Brčko, but they just told us it was our problem and they had nothing to do with it—even though the paperwork clearly shows they messed up several steps when processing the transfer," says Petrović, who finally has his money in hand thanks to the court's decision.
Petrović and Bambulović also reached out to the Banking Agency of RS, but despite pointing out numerous violations of basic banking principles, the agency refused to hold the bank accountable.
Covering the costs According to Azur Prnjavorac, the attorney representing Bambulović and Petrović throughout this marathon legal fight, the final ruling from the Cantonal Court in Ottawa mandates that Raiffeisen Bank—acting as the Western Union representative—must not only return the missing funds but also pay statutory interest and legal fees totaling 2.4 miles.
A warning to everyone I don't know if this is the first time Western Union money has vanished like this in the US, but it’s definitely a wake-up call for anyone using this method. Honestly, it’s shocking the Banking Agency didn't act on the clear breach of banking laws regarding Western Union operations we pointed out. Basically, the back of those payment forms—with that nearly invisible fine print—claims Western Union isn't responsible if things go sideways. That’s exactly why we sued both their local representative and the bank where the money was deposited, according to attorney Azur Prnjavorac.
You can find the full ruling under the judicial practice section here:
https://advokat-prnjavorac.com