SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Employment Security is urging residents to be wary of phishing schemes that could be part of criminal rings attempting to exploit unemployment systems nationwide. Authorities say fraudulent text messages, emails, and social media messages posing as the IDES and other state agencies are on the rise in an attempt to acquire personal data from victims. The Department said Wednesday that they have had more than 1.7 million fraud claims reported. The federal unemployment programs for unemployment are set to expire on September 4th. If you have been the victim of identity theft-related unemployment insurance fraud, visit the IDES fraud webpage for information about how to report the claim.
