Crystal Lake, like many communities throughout Illinois, has seen a substantial rise in the number of fraudulent unemployment benefit claims being made on behalf of Crystal Lake residents or workers.  Individual victims and employers suspecting fraudulent unemployment benefits claims are strongly encouraged to contact the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) at 1-800-244-5631 to place your name on a call list.  An investigator from IDES will contact you sometime after to begin their investigation.  Further information regarding IDES and unemployment benefits scams can be found here on their website. 

Additionally, we recommend victims of this scam or any other identity theft-related scam to file a report, online, with the Federal Trade Commission, located here.  A specific tab for "unemployment benefits identify theft" is located in the upper right corner. 

As always, the Crystal Lake Police Department is here to serve you.  If you suspect you are the victim of this scam or any other, please call 815-356-3620 and ask to speak with an officer.  You may also file a theft report with us online, using our Online Crime Reporting system, located in our menu to the left.