Wheaton police warn of unemployment benefits scam

WHEATON - The Wheaton Police Department is alerting residents to be aware of an ongoing identity theft scam related to pandemic unemployment insurance benefits.

More than 20 Wheaton residents have received unsolicited unemployment insurance debit cards in the mail. This indicates their personal or financial information may have been compromised.

The scam attempts to use residents’ personal identifying information to receive unemployment benefits provided through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program.

Residents who receive this letter and debit card but did not sign up for the unemployment insurance benefit should not activate the card. Rather, they should file a police report with Wheaton police.

In addition to filing a police report with the Wheaton Police Department, residents are encouraged to contact the Illinois Department of Employment Security at 800-814-0513 to report receiving the unsolicited card. Reports can also be filed through the IDES website.