To all LLCC employees,

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there is a large-scale scam going on that involves individuals filing claims for unemployment benefits, using names and personal information of people who have not lost their jobs. As you may have heard on the news, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has identified an increase in fraudulent, or imposter, unemployment claims in recent months. We feel that it is important for our employees to have awareness that these false claims are rampant, not just in Illinois, but across the country.

When IDES receives an unemployment benefit application for a person employed or previously employed by Lincoln Land Community College, Human Resources is notified, via a secure portal. We will research to obtain the employment status of the employee and update IDES with the findings. In recent months, we have been notified of a small number of active LLCC employees with claims in the IDES unemployment system. These employees are actively employed and did not initiate any process with IDES. We reported those findings to IDES and notified the affected employees regarding the fraudulent claim.

You may be a victim of unemployment fraud if you have not filed an unemployment claim but you have received a debit card or an unemployment insurance (UI) finding letter. It is important that you take immediate action. DO NOT ACTIVATE THE DEBIT CARD. Steps and resources can be found at Reporting Unemployment Insurance Fraud – IDES. In addition to the steps listed on the IDES website, please alert Kim Elder (kim.elder@llcc.edu) in Human Resources and your local police department.

This is a nation-wide scam. At this time, there is no evidence that the fraudulent unemployment claims filed for our employees is in any way related to a breach of information, data or security at, or with, Lincoln Land Community College.

If you are a victim of identity theft, there are resources available to you. Through the FTC, Identity Theft Recovery Steps | IdentityTheft.gov will give you the opportunity to report identity theft to the FTC and get step-by-step recovery help. IdentityTheft.gov will guide you through placing a free, one-year fraud alert on your credit, getting their free credit reports, closing fraudulent accounts opened in your name, adding a free extended fraud alert or credit freeze to your account and more. Benefit-eligible employees may also receive assistance through the Employee Assistance Program. Please visit the HR Portal Page for contact information.

Please share this information with your student employees or any faculty and staff that may not have seen this!

If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Ralph (nicole.ralph@llcc.edu).