Following is a general notice and reminder to all University of Illinois System faculty and staff to be aware of an increase in identity theft-related unemployment fraud and phishing schemes.
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) issued a press release urging citizens to be on high alert for phishing schemes attempting to impersonate and exploit IDES and unemployment systems across the country. Note: IDES will never send a text message seeking your personal information, such as your social security number or driver’s license number.
Fraudulent text messages, emails, and social media posts appear to come from IDES or other state agencies in an attempt to phish for personally identifiable information. Please see this Fraud Alert from IDES for examples. Delete phishing email or text messages, do not respond or click links.
Phishing is a type of scam in which a bad actor tries to get you to enter your sensitive personal information into a website that looks like one you trust. Be cautious and wary of text messages and emails that use urgent language, state you have a claim (for which you did not apply), or direct you to website URLs that you do not recognize. If you are unsure whether a message is legitimate or not, contact the sending organization through a known, verified method to confirm it.
Please be careful and protect your personal information.
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