LIVE OAK, Texas — The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) started sending Brant Hoskins collection letters in 2021. The agency claimed they overpaid him for an unemployment claim and now wanted Hoskins to pay them back around $1560.
The problem: Hoskins never filed that unemployment claim in the first place.
"I don't owe them the money! I can't stress enough... I never filed a claim!" Hoskins said.
Hoskins did try to contact the TWC in 2021 and afterwards. He said he even previously got through to the fraud department and thought they had it sorted out, but the letters just kept coming.
Hoskins had also asked his employer to send in an email explaining that he had been working in 2021 but that didn't work either. He continued to make calls but couldn't make any progress.
"You just give up after a while," Hoskins said. "It would just ring and ring or the recording would go around in a circle. Or they would say 'All lines are full. Call back another time," Hoskins said.
Then, the next year, the agency started taking his tax refunds. Between 2021 and 2023 the agency collected nearly $900 from Hoskins and they were still trying to get the rest.
Finally, Hoskins called KENS 5.
"They still wanted $663. I figured they would take my next tax return again." Hoskins said. "I saw a story you guys did and you were able to resolve the issue. I thought... what do I have to lose?"
KENS 5 documented the collection letters and contacted the Texas Workforce Commission to request they take another look at Hoskins's claim. The TWC started looking into the issue immediately.
Then, two days later, Hoskins got a call from a lead fraud investigator at the Texas Workforce Commission.
"This lady was legit," Hoskins said. "She said, 'If you get any more letters - call me.' She was very comforting. She was like… calm down… we are going to get this right.”
The TWC couldn't tell KENS 5 exactly what they found, but they sent Hoskins a letter which verified that he had, in fact, been a fraud victim. It also said he no longer owed the TWC any money.
The TWC sent KENS 5 a statement that said, in part, "The written acknowledgement TWC has emailed to Mr. Hoskins details the steps we have taken to resolve the issues resulting from the fraudulent UI claim."
Hoskins later told KENS 5 the TWC has promised to refund the money they previously took from his taxes.
Hoskins said he's glad he called KENS 5. He said he now feels exonerated after the agency acknowledged he never made the claim.
"It's a night and day difference. I just feel this weight on my shoulders relieved. Finally, not only did it get resolved, but they actually admitted I was a victim of fraud."
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