Ananova:

Western Union has warned thousands of online customers that hackers have broken into the US money transferring company's website.

It is unclear whether the hackers obtained any personal account information from the Colorado-based company. No fraudulent transactions had been reported by late Saturday, spokesman Peter Ziverts said.

Only website users who conducted online transactions would have been affected. The problem was discovered during a routine security check on Friday, he said.

Company officials are using e-mail, letters and phone messages to alert between 10,000 and 20,000 consumers to cancel their credit or debit cards and get new ones, Mr Ziverts said.

"It's a precaution. It's something we take seriously. We're taking no chances," he added.

The company's website is displaying a message saying it is out of service. It is not expected to be running for several days, Mr Ziverts said.