“They basically sent me a bill saying you owe us $14,000,” said Mary Payne, Flushing resident.
Payne was laid off in March when COVID-19 hit and her employer went out of business.
She said she filed an unemployment claim, but since September, she’s been getting letters from the Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) accusing her of misrepresentation.
“What ended up happening is they sent me this document saying that it was fraudulent,” Payne said. “My claim was fraudulent and that I misrepresented myself, which I did not.”
Now the UIA is sending Payne notices that she needs to pay back all the benefits she collected, with interest. If she doesn’t, her wages could be garnished.