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Employers: Reporting Fraudulent Claims

IDES is aware of phishing schemes targeting Illinoisans. Please note that individuals will never receive a text message from IDES seeking personally identifiable information, like your social security or driver’s license numbers. For more info on phishing schemes please visit the FTC website.

Nationwide, states are experiencing an increase of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. Many of these claims involve the theft of employees’ identities from outside sources. IDES is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to support employers and fight this fraud.

See our guide to learn how to report identity theft fraud via MyTax.

If you receive a Notice of Claim informing you that an employee with a given name and social security number has filed a claim for benefits, please confirm if that employee is still working for you. If so, please ask whether that individual did, in fact, file a claim. We ask that you report to IDES as soon as possible what information you have obtained.

Employers can securely report fraudulent claims filed under the names of one or more of their employees through MyTax Illinois.

After logging in to MyTax Illinois, select your unemployment insurance account, navigate to the "I Want To…" section, and select "Report Identity Theft."

Reporting identity theft fraud in a timely manner helps IDES more efficiently investigate and shut down fraudulent claims. IDES is working closely with state and federal partners to stop criminals and protect the unemployment insurance system. We appreciate your help to keep Illinois' unemployment insurance system safe.

Frequently Asked Questions

If someone steals my employee’s identity and IDES pays benefits to the fraudster, am I responsible for paying back the money as an employer?

No. If the claim is confirmed to be fraudulent due to identity theft, neither you nor your employee will be responsible for paying back any benefits paid out on the claim, nor will you be held responsible for tax implications resulting from a fraudulent claim (for information about fraudulent claims and the 1099-G tax form, click here).

What should I tell an employee that has had a claim fraudulently filed in their name?

Please refer victims to IDES’s identity theft webpage for guidance. Victims are encouraged to go to the Federal Trade Commission and take these immediate steps to protect themselves from further acts of fraud.

If you, as an employer, already reported the fraudulent claim via MyTax, your employee does not have to file a duplicative report. A determination notice (500B), will be sent to the victim, notifying them when the fraudulent claim has been stopped.

What if I (or my employee) reported the fraud, but the employee received a letter stating that they must pay back an overpayment?

If your employee received a notice or letter from us saying they owe us money, we sent this notice of overpayment in error if they:

  • Recently reported fraud, or
  • Have not applied for or received unemployment benefits recently.

IDES is sorry for any confusion this may have caused, and we want to assure individuals and employers that they do not owe any money as a result of a fraudulent claim. If your employee is a victim of fraud, they can ignore the overpayment notice. Our unemployment benefits computer system sends overpayment letters automatically when people do need to repay benefits. Due to the massive number of fraudulent claims filed recently, the computer system sent many of these letters in error before IDES could stop them. We apologize if your employee accidentally received one.

As a reimbursable employer, do I have to pay for fraudulent claims based on ID theft when they appear on the quarterly Statement of Amount Due for Benefits Paid (BEN-118R)?

No. You do not need to pay charges for a fraudulent claim based on ID theft. If you are assessed charges for a fraudulent claim, please notify us as soon as possible.