Western Union offers one of the easiest ways for families and friends to send money and stay connected almost anywhere in the world. You do not need to open a bank account, so you can send or receive money in any of the 170 000 service points of Western Union around the world. In 1879 Western Union left the telephone business after losing a lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell - the patent holder on the phone. All you need for sending money via Western Union is to go to the nearest branch of Western Union, fill out the transfer printed form, show your passport and then send money. Sibley, the founder of Western Union, did not build a new telegraph lines, and persuaded the other players to join. American Telegraph Company, however, still had to buy it.