Will County Sheriff's Office Sees Rise In Identity Theft Scams

WILL COUNTY, IL — Since January, the Will County Sheriff's Office has taken 318 reports from citizens about identity theft, 83 reports about credit card fraud and 55 reports of fraud. The sheriff's office said the majority of residents did not fall victim to the scams, however, some did and so police are reminding residents to be aware.

In October and November alone, the sheriff's office has received over 140 complaints from residents regarding the Illinois Department of Employment Services (IDES) scam. This scam consists of residents receiving a letter with a pre-paid credit card confirming approval of unemployment benefits. In this scam, the thieves have applied for unemployment using your name and personal information. They then have the method of payment switched to direct deposit, which means the money is going straight to the thief's bank account. However, if there is money on the card and a fraud victim ends up spending that money, IDES says that person would be responsible for repaying that money to the state because they are fraudulent funds, according to the sheriff's office.

IDES asks residents to file a police report and to report the fraudulent card online or call their identify theft hotline at 866-999-5630. It is also advised that residents contact credit bureaus to file a fraud alert and keep a close eye on personal banking accounts.

Residents are also reporting phone calls for warrants for your arrest and breach of your Social Security number. The sheriff’s office said it does not call individuals who have a warrant out for their arrest, and they do not ask for money to make the warrant disappear

The Social Security scam is also on the rise with several reports filed, the sheriff's office said. These thieves use several phone numbers, may call consistently for days, leave you a message if you do not answer, and state that they are from Social Security and that your number has been flagged for fraud. They ask the unknowing victim to confirm their number so they can reactivate it and ask for a fee to complete the transaction. Visit www.ssa.gov if you are receiving these calls to file a report.

The sheriff's office said a general rule is do not answer your phone if you do not recognize the number. If you do answer and realize it is someone from these agencies and you have not called them prior, simply hang up the phone. Any fraud reports can be made online.