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While fraudulent claims related to unemployment are not new, the number has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.
Photo: Courtney KWhile fraudulent claims related to unemployment are not new, the number has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.
While fraudulent claims related to unemployment are not new, the number has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.
While fraudulent claims related to unemployment are not new, the number has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.
Months into the COVID-19 pandemic, fraudulent unemployment claims are triggering a wave of identity theft claims.
Nearly 187,000 reports of identify theft related to fraudulent unemployment claims were made between March 1 and Oct. 1.
Locally, Jacksonville Police Department has received several such reports, including from Illinois College employees who were notified that their names had been used on applications for unemployment benefits.
“We have referred all of them to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office,” police Lt. Doug Thompson said.
Rebecca Cisco, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Employment Security, said fraudulent claims related to unemployment are not new, but the number of claims has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic.
In total, 186,979 fraudulent claims have been filed since March 1. Of those, 166,997 relating to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program have been filed since May, when the program was started.
The program is a federal program that provided additional benefits for those who weren’t traditionally covered under state unemployment programs.
“This is not a problem that is unique to Illinois,” Cisco said. “Every state is dealing with this. It is more egregious right now with all the federal support money that was available.”
Currently, more cases of fraud are coming in through the federal program.
Fraudulently applying for benefits under the PUA program is a little easier because there typically isn’t an employer at the other end to contest the claim, Cisco said.
The program largely covers independent contractors and those who are self-employed.
The remaining 19,982 fraudulent claims since March have involved the Illinois Benefit Information System.
When a a fraudulent claim is made, the person who discovers the claim should contact the employment security office as soon as possible to prevent the benefits from being paid out and to prevent future payments, Cisco said.
With the growth in the number of cases, several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the U.S. Treasury, are helping in investigations. she said.
The best way to protect against such fraudulent claims is for people to keep their information off of the internet and to avoid giving it to people they don’t know, Thompson said.
Cisco agreed, adding that changing passwords and having strong online security will help provide additional protection.
If someone realizes a fraudulent unemployment claim has been filed using his or her name, that person also should check credit and bank reports for other suspicious activity, Cisco said.
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Scam artists stealing names for unemployment claims, and they're hitting here - Jacksonville Journal-Courier
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