ID Thefts In Kendall County On The Rise Amid Pandemic

KENDALL COUNTY, IL — A high number of cases pertaining to ID thefts are being reported in Kendall County this month. Between Dec. 14-22, the Kendall County Sheriff's Office took 35 reports from across the county.

Deputy Dan Briars said there has been a large influx in ID theft reports, primarily targeting the Illinois Department of Employment Security and fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits. This has been occurring throughout the entire state, and similar issues have been reported in other states throughout the country.

"This specific issue regarding fraudulent employment claims is not something we have seen with this regularity prior to this year, and it is certainly possible that it is related to the increase in legitimate claims for unemployment benefits which resulted from the pandemic," he told Patch.

There are ongoing investigations into the fraudulent unemployment claims at the state level, and the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate its investigative efforts with those investigations as requested.

Briars said since April 1, the department recorded 206 reports, however, since all were classified as ID theft reports, they may or may not all be related to unemployment fraud.

The Sheriff's Office would like to remind residents of the following:

• Never give out personal information over the phone to individuals you do not know.
• Keep your credit card, checking account, or Social Security numbers to yourself.
• Don't tell them to callers you don't know — even if they ask you to "confirm" this information. That's a common trick.
• Don’t send cash by messenger, overnight mail, gift cards, prepaid Visa cards, or money transfer. If you use cash or a money transfer — rather than a credit card — you may lose your right to dispute fraudulent charges. The money will be gone.
• Beware of offers to "help" you recover money you have already lost. Callers that say they are law enforcement officers who will help you get your money back "for a fee" are scammers.

If you suspect a fraudulent unemployment claim has been submitted using your information, and you have not applied for unemployment insurance benefits in Illinois, take steps as follows:

• Report the fraudulent claim here.
• Do not activate the debit card that was mailed to you.
• Do not contact KeyBank.
• Request your free credit reports via www.annualcreditreport.com and review them for other fraudulent activities.
• Notify the Federal Trade Commission via http://www.ftc.gov (select File a Consumer Complaint, and then File a Complaint)

Residents can also visit this link for additional information: https://www2.illinois.gov/ides/Pages/Reporting_Unemployment_Insurance_Fraud.aspx

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