The Wheaton Police Department is alerting residents to be aware of an ongoing identity theft scam related to pandemic unemployment insurance benefits.
More than 20 Wheaton residents have received unsolicited unemployment insurance debit cards in the mail. This indicates their personal or financial information may have been compromised. The scam is attempting to use the personal identifying information of residents to receive unemployment benefits provided through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program.
Residents who receive this letter and debit card but did not sign up for the unemployment insurance benefit should not activate the card. Rather, they should file a police report with the Wheaton Police Department.
In addition to filing a police report with the Wheaton Police Department, residents are encouraged to contact the Illinois Department of Employment Security (1-800-814-0513) to report receiving the unsolicited card. Reports can also be filed through the IDES website.
To protect your identity, the Wheaton Police Department encourages residents to:
- Check your credit reports with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can receive one free credit report every year from each credit reporting company. Call 1-877-322-8228 or visit www.annualcreditreport.com
- Consider placing a freeze on your credit report
- Review all of your financial accounts and dispute any unauthorized charges/debits
- Consider placing transaction alerts with your bank or financial institution
- Be alert for other unusual occurrences
Additional information is available on the website for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.