By Neil Doyle
BLOOMINGTON – A local lawmaker is reminding people to be vigilant and report any suspected unemployment fraud.
State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) was targeted in an unemployment scam through his position as an adjunct professor at Illinois State University.
“I think it’s an example of the reality that these fraudulent activities are occurring out there, and really nobody is immune from that elicit activity,” said Barickman.
According to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the most common signs that you may be the victim of unemployment fraud are:
- You receive a debit card or an unemployment insurance letter (UI Finding) and has not filed a claim for benefits.
- You are notified by your employer that a claim for benefits has been filed when you have not been separated from employment.
- You attempt to file a claim online and one already exits.
- You receive IRS correspondence regarding unreported UI benefits.
- You receive notice of a State or Federal tax offset.
“I did notice I got several pieces of mail at my home address and it had some kind of combination of incorrect information on the address,” Barickman said. “The post office to their credit still got it to my right house, but it was clear that something fishy was going on.”
Earlier this year, IDES reported that there were more than 120,000 suspected cases of unemployment fraud in the state from March through August.
If you receive a notice regarding unemployment benefits that you didn’t apply for, you should report it immediately to IDES and the Illinois Attorney General’s office, said Barickman.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]
