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Unemployment fraud
AnnaFantastic said:
What is the name of your state? OHIO
I was briefly unemployed in early 2019. I was laid off along with 4 other employees. We were given a 1 month severance pay and the remaining time in our paid time off bucket. We were told this in a room, told to pack our stuff and leave. We were not given any paperwork or Cobra letters or 401k rollover letters. Nothing.
So I filed for unemployment benefits. I had paycheck due to me because we were at the end of a pay period. I disclosed that.
When I went to fill out the online application it asked if we were getting severance pay. I did not know how the severance pay was being disbursed so I called HR for the job. The place of employment was a law firm in business for many years.
The HR person who is also the Comptroller for the company told me to check the box "no", because he was submitting the severance pay as back pay I was owed. I asked him 3 times if he was sure and he said this is how the company does it. Btw, they lay people off every year. So I believed him. He also said the paid time off was the same, I didnt have to claim it because we were given out time offing a bucket in our anniversary dates and my anniversary date was May of year before I was laid off.
So i did that, answered no to severance question.
So now i am working at a new job. I was only unemployed 7 weeks. Collected 3 unemployment checks for a total of $900.
Last Friday, the 13th, I got a notification from the unemployment bureau that there is a urgent notice on their website for me. I tried to open it but it would not open on my cell phone. I called the phone number on the email and the person who sent it was off that Friday so I talked with another person in her department.
She told me it was about the severance pay while getting U/E benefits in the amount of $641.00. I told her the gist of what happened that I didn't know how to answer the question so I called HR and he told me to answer no.
The severance was paid out like pay checks not in a lump sum. I did not have any paperwork saying out it was to be paid out. The HR person gave me his word that I was not doing anything wrong and I believed him. He was, after all, HR and the Comptroller for a law firm.
I am a 62 year old woman, I have limited hearing and sight. I was scared I would not be able to even find another job. I hadn't been unemployed in over 20 years. When they called us into the meeting to be laid off, I was having a panic attack. I couldn't even hear what he was saying, but I knew I was being let go. I started crying. I knew I was supposed to act professionally but I also have been diagnosed with chronic depression and general anxiety disorder. My feet are bad, I walk with pain.
I relied on what the HR person told me and now I am being, i guess, investigatigated.
After I talked to the person at Ohio U/E office, I called the HR person at my old job. He did not deny telling me what he told me. He said he had to answer questions regarding another coworker who was laid off and he would call the number I called.
He called me back and told me that the caseworker was not in but he talked to the lady I talked to. He said she told him that I would have to authorize him to talk to them. Which sounds funny to me. He is HR, but I will authorize him.
I have to call the caseworker Monday. I am so scared. Are they going to prosecute me? I can give the money right back. But I am so scared about prosecution, jail etc. I can give then the $641, but what are the fines and penalties in Ohio.
I am so scared, can someone help me please?
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