I've sent money to Eastern Europe a few times with Western Union on line. They've sent me e-mails, and I've to call and confirm that it's my card and that I know the person I'm sending the money to. There was just a thread about this last week, and some people were freaked because of it. I assume that it's to make sure the credit card wasn't stolen. Bottom line, though: I've done it a few times, and always got my gear no problem.