Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Thursday sent letters to six national career and job search companies warning that older users of certain websites and apps are prohibited from accessing important functions because of their age, potentially violating the Illinois Human Rights Act and the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Madigan sent letters to Beyond.com, CareerBuilder, Indeed Inc., Ladders Inc., Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW) and Vault, requesting information about the companies’ practices.

Madigan’s office alleges that when people attempt to build a profile or a resume on these career search sites, the companies’ drop-down menus only allow people of certain age groups to enter their dates of previous work experience and education. In one example, a company provided 1980 as the earliest possible choice for users’ education or previous employment start dates, barring anyone who is older than 52 from full use of the company’s services. Other sites used dates ranging from 1950 to 1970 as cutoffs. As a result, older users may not be able to complete accurate profiles to apply for available positions.

“Today’s workforce includes many people working in their 70s and 80s,” Madigan said. “Barring older people from commonly used job search sites because of their age is discriminatory and negatively impacts our economy.”

In an email to the Chicago Tribune, CareerBuilder spokeswoman Jennifer Sullivan Grasz said the company “is committed to helping workers of all ages find job opportunities, and is fixing this unfortunate oversight.” Ladders, based in New York, said it has not yet received a letter from Madigan and that it does not participate in the alleged practices. Beyond, based in King of Prussia, Pa., said it will be happy to respond to Madigan once it receives the letter. “Discrimination has no part in the hiring process and that's why we take such care to help job seekers (and hiring managers) carefully consider all information they put forth during the job search process to avoid any conscious or unconscious bias,” the company said in an emailed statement to the Tribune.

Madigan’s Civil Rights Bureau is currently examining these practices. The Civil Rights Bureau enforces state and federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination in Illinois and advocates for legislation to strengthen the laws. Bureau Chief Karyn Bass Ehler and Assistant Attorney General Jeff VanDam are handling the investigation.