Fraudulent Unemployment Claims and Fraud Text Scams on the Rise

If you have received a letter from the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or your employer notified you that an unemployment claim has been filed in your name and you did not file that claim, officials say you need to stop that claim as soon as possible. The Effingham County Case Manager said this is a form of identity theft, and that someone has gained access to your sensitive information, such as Social Security number, date of birth, and possibly more.

The Case Manager's office asks you to take any paperwork you've received into their office and, with help from the local Department of Employment Security office, that claim will be stopped. The Case Manager will also give you a checklist of ways to further protect yourself from fraudulent activity.

Please also note that IDES will NOT request personal information via text. Fraudulent text messages appearing to be from IDES are circulating once again. You're encouraged NOT to reply to the texts. IDES said this is a scam; they will not send a text.

The Effingham County Case Manager is available Monday through Thursday from 9am to 1pm and Thursdays from 4 to 6pm at Effingham Public Library, 200 N. 3rd, Suite 2 to help people apply and certify for unemployment, report fraudulent unemployment claims, apply for SNAP and Medicaid as well as help with other issues affecting people impacted by COVID.

To contact the Effingham County Case Manager, email effcocasemanager@gmail.com or phone 224-209-6638.