On Your Side recovers state tax refund for Tolleson mom
TOLLESON, AZ (AZFamily) — On Your Side is getting results for a mom in Tolleson who was on the hook to repay unemployment benefits she never claimed.
Brittany Brown was expecting a decent tax refund from the state. Instead, she got a letter from the Arizona Department of Economic Security telling her she owed more than $2,000.
On Your Side first told you about Brown last month. She needed help getting her money back from the state after DES intercepted money from her Arizona tax refund.
It all stemmed from an incident in 2020 when unemployment fraud was running rampant across the country. Brown’s identity was stolen and used to claim fraudulent unemployment benefits.
“I thought the process was complete and done and then three years later, I receive a letter in the mail about our taxes being taken due to fraud and us owing money,” Brown said.
Brown reported the fraud to the police and DES at the time, but the issue returned to haunt her years later.
“Literally as soon as the story aired, people from DES started reaching out,” she said. Within days, she got her check, refunding her $2,030. “I’m just glad it was settled. I’m glad we got it back and also, in general, that my name was cleared.”
It’s a big deal to this mom who works hard to keep her family’s budget on track. “I’m so glad that what would have been so drawn out and so hard to do on my own was able to be done so quick,” she said. “I was just literally amazed at from giving you guys a call and how much of a help it was.”
As On Your Side has reported, Arizona paid out more than $5.7 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits during the pandemic, when benefits were increased, according to a 2021 report. The state has recovered about $1.5 billion.
When DES first started investigating Brown’s case at On Your Side’s request, a spokesperson for the agency told us, “The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) understands how situations such as these can impact individuals, and we are committed to doing all we can to assist claimants.”
This tax season, the agency has issued about 2,800 notices of tax refund intercepts for all DES programs. If taxpayers believe they do not owe the money, they have 30 days to dispute it.
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