these fraud investigations are getting out of hand fr fr. my cousin got the same letter last week

Hey Yara, I went through something similar in 2020. The key thing is to stay calm and be organized. Even without your old passport, you should be fine with other forms of ID. I'd also suggest bringing any employment records you can find from 2019 - pay stubs, W2s, termination letters, anything that shows your work history. If you can't find those documents, your former employer might still have copies. The investigators are usually pretty reasonable if you're upfront about what happened and show you're trying to cooperate. Good luck! 🤞

The whole system is a mess. They make it sound like everyone who filed during covid was committing fraud but most of us were just trying to survive. Now they're going after legitimate claimants while the real fraudsters probably got away with millions.

I went through this exact same review process about 6 months ago and it was nerve-wracking but ultimately fine. The key thing is to respond quickly and provide everything they ask for. Don't wait until the last minute on that 10-day deadline. I organized all my documents in a folder - pay stubs, tax forms, bank statements showing my employment ended when I claimed it did. The review took about a month total but they sent me a letter saying everything was cleared. The fraud investigation is really targeting people who filed under fake identities or were working while claiming benefits, not legitimate claimants like you who just need to verify their paperwork.

just make sure u get a confirmation after u press 4. sometimes the system hangs up for no reason lol

Just wanted to add that you can also check your withholding status online through the NY DOL website if you're not sure what you selected. I logged into my account last week and could see under "Payment Information" whether I had tax withholding set up or not. It's a good way to double-check without having to call that awful phone system again. The online portal shows your payment history and tax withholding amounts too, which is helpful for keeping track.

Hey OP, any updates? Did you get your payment yet?

I went through this exact same thing earlier this year! Got the "Claim Can now be Paid" text and then... crickets for almost a month. It's so frustrating when you're counting on that money. What finally worked for me was calling super early in the morning (like 8:01 AM sharp) and just hitting redial over and over. Took about 45 minutes but I finally got through to someone who could see there was a small glitch in my account that was holding up payments. They fixed it right there on the call and I had my money within 3 business days. Also make sure you're doing your weekly certifications religiously - even if you haven't gotten paid yet, keep claiming those weeks or you'll lose them. The system will catch up and backpay you for all the weeks you certified for. Hope this helps and you see that payment soon! 🙏

FINAL UPDATE: My wage reconsideration was approved! It took almost 5 weeks, but I finally got a revised Monetary Determination showing my correct wages of $41,850. My weekly benefit amount increased from $318 to $504! They're also sending me retroactive payments for the difference on the weeks I've already certified. For anyone dealing with this issue, here's what worked for me: 1. Submitted all my W-2s and quarterly pay stubs through the messaging system 2. Got a letter from my employer confirming my wages 3. Called (multiple times) until I got through to someone who could check on the status Thanks to everyone who helped with advice. This forum was a lifesaver when I was stressing about this whole situation!

Congratulations Justin! This is such great news and proves that persistence really pays off. The fact that your weekly benefit went from $318 to $504 shows just how significant these wage reporting errors can be. For anyone else reading this who might be in a similar situation - Justin's success story shows that even though the process can be frustrating and time-consuming, it's absolutely worth fighting for your correct benefits. The difference between what you should receive versus what they initially offer can be life-changing when you're unemployed. Also want to emphasize what Justin did right: he kept detailed records, got employer verification, and didn't give up even when it took 5 weeks. That retroactive payment is going to make a huge difference for his financial situation right now. Thanks for sharing your journey with us - posts like this help the whole community!