The City of Wheaton has unfortunately joined the list of areas seeing significant instances of fraud related to unemployment benefits. Victims are receiving official notice from the State of Illinois that someone had filed for unemployment benefits using the victim’s personal information. The Illinois Department of Employment Security is continuing to try and address this far-reaching crime.
The Wheaton Police Department advises that you do not activate or use any cards received for unemployment funds that you did not request.
Due to the large number of victims, the Wheaton Police Department has established a procedure for accepting initial reports of identity theft related to this scam:
- Wheaton residents should use this report form found on the City’s website. You can complete the form at home at your convenience.
- To ensure the security of your personal information, please do not mail, email, or otherwise try to submit the completed document online. Please hand-deliver completed forms to the lobby of the Wheaton Police Department, 900 W. Liberty, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. any day of the week. Alternatively, a victim can call 9-1-1 and ask for an officer to collect the completed form at the victim’s residence.
- If you received any documentation or cards in the mail as a result of this scam, please include these items or copies of them with your completed form.
- An officer or detective will contact you to follow up on your completed form.
In addition to creating an official police report documenting your victimization, as outlined above, the Wheaton Police Department also recommends the following steps to victims of this crime:
- Contact IDES to report the fraudulent claim at (800) 814-0513.
- Report the fraud to https://identitytheft.gov/
- Do not activate the card or contact Key Bank.
- Request your free credit reports via www.annualcreditreport.com and review them for other fraudulent activities. It is always good practice to check your credit annually at a minimum.
Additional information can be found on the Illinois Department of Employment Security website.