Western Union does system review in Jamaica parish

(AP) Money transfer company Western Union is temporarily shutting down its services in a northern Jamaican parish that is the hotbed for a multimillion-dollar lottery scam that targets mostly elderly Americans.

Company spokesman Dan Diaz says Western Union locations in St. James parish, which includes the resort city of Montego Bay, will be closed for a systems review over the next two weeks.

Jamaican scam artists have made St. James parish a center for lottery scam rings in recent years.

The scammers often use disposable cellular phones to cheat mostly elderly Americans out of their savings by requesting they transfer money to claim winnings from a lottery, which later turns out to be fake.

Diaz says Western Union regularly monitors global money transfers to ensure the company remains in compliance.