McHenry Times

Senator Craig Wilcox is being vocal about people’s unemployment benefits going missing.

Sharon Thomas and Mike Cosmas, Chicago natives, are missing their benefits.

“Real Illinoisans are still owed unemployment benefits, while money continues to be channeled to hackers,” Wilcox wrote on Facebook. “The kicker? (The Illinois Department of Employment Security) knew it was happening and did nothing to stop it. Complete incompetence allows this fraud to continue.”

State Rep. Dan Ugaste said on Facebook that IDES is “rolling out multi-factor protection” to address the problem.

“Residents who received unemployment help during the pandemic are now being told they owe thousands of dollars back,” Rep. Jim Durkin posted on Facebook. “Struggling Illinois families should not be on the hook for the administration's mistakes. The governor and IDES need to resolve these ongoing issues with the unemployment system.”

Illinois residents reporting that their unemployment benefits had been hijacked have not received the kind of result they need. Those who spoke with CBS explained they'd sent their identification to multiple departments, couldn't get the same person on the phone to make progress in their claims and have been reaching their limits.

To combat the problem, IDES has instituted new security features for individuals who are claiming their benefits.

Last September, amid massive issues with fraudulent benefit claims, IDES told many that they were required to repay their benefits. But, they couldn't talk to people who needed help, and the waiver program had not been implemented when the repayment notices went out.