State Sen. Dale Fowler | Contributed photo
State Sen. Dale Fowler | Contributed photo
The fight against unemployment fraud continues as the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has teamed up with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) – Division of Banking and Division of Financial Institutions to help financial entities.
According to the website of state Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), uniting financial institutions is an effective way to help combat unemployment fraud. Financial groups are encouraged to watch out for certain activities such as a new account with several deposit transactions from unemployment insurance programs in the state and account names or information that don’t align with names and information from ACH transactions.
Other signs include the same device (i.e. a cell phone or computer) accessing several accounts; an account member getting several unemployment insurance transactions from many states; and point of sale transactions that don’t match the address listed on the account.
IDES’ latest initiative comes a few weeks after it rolled out its plan to collaborate with local and federal organizations to look into unemployment fraud around the nation, ultimately effecting the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programs.
Those who haven’t requested unemployment but have still received a debit card or unemployment insurance information in the mail could be a victim of unemployment fraud. If so, they are urged to report the claim as soon as possible or call IDES at 800-814-0513. They are urged to not activate the debit card that they were issued, but instead take a look at their credit report for any unusual activity. They are also encouraged to post a fraud alert and log on to the Federal Trade Commission’s website for more information.
Americans are filing for unemployment at record-breaking numbers as millions are out of work because of the COVID-19 crisis.
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