Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is asking Illinois residents to stay diligent about identity theft due to the problems surrounding unemployment benefits. In recent days, Raoul’s office has received dozens of complaints from individuals throughout the state who learned that someone applied for unemployment insurance benefits in their name.
The FBI also reported a spike in identity theft around the nation involving several states’ unemployment claims systems.
According to Raoul, several individuals contacted the Attorney General’s office after receiving unemployment insurance debit cards in the mail – despite not having applied for benefits. Raoul is warning people who receive unsolicited debit cards in the mail that their personal or financial information may have been compromised. Raoul is urging these individuals to contact the Illinois Department of Employment Security at 800-814-0513 to report receiving the unsolicited card and contact the Illinois Attorney General’s office if they need information to take steps to guard against identity theft.
Raoul is also asking residents to take the following steps to also protect their identities: monitor your credit report, consider setting up fraud alerts on your social security number and accounts, place a freeze on your credit report, review all of your financial accounts, and place transaction alerts on your accounts. Raoul also encourages residents to call his Identity Theft Hotline at 1-866-999-5630 for assistance and more information.
The FBI encourages victims to report fraudulent or any suspicious activities to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. You may consult identitytheft.gov for help in reporting and recovering from identity theft.