A suburban high school district has launched an investigation after several employees from multiple schools reported their identities were stolen.
Sources told NBC 5 more than 100 employees at Deerfield High School and Highland Park High in Township High School District 113 may have had their social security numbers stolen, and the number of identity theft reports continues to grow.
“We have received reports from some employees that unauthorized tax returns have been filed using their information, and we are taking these reports very seriously,” the district said in a statement. “We have notified the police, and we are working with a cybersecurity firm to investigate the source of the potential incident.”
One employee, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, said he received a falsified IRS letter in February and claims someone had tried to file a tax return in his name.
Police confirmed they are investigating the reports, but few details on the investigation were available.
“We don't have a definite number yet of the school employees that have been victimized,” said Deputy Chief Tim Wilinski with the High Park Police Department. “We are not hearing anything about students being a part of this, only employees. That could change, but we have no reason to believe that it's affected any students at this time.”
Authorities advised district employees to be proactive in this situation.
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“If you suspect for any reason your identity has been compromised to go through your financial institutions or government sites to put checks in place,” Wilinski said.
