TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — During the pandemic, government money was flowing.
Billions were handed out by the Small Business Administration through loans to help businesses pay employees and stay open.
Rick Martinez is a veteran from Tampa and is staying with family in France until early next year. He didn’t apply for one of these loans, but now out of the blue and years later, the government sent him a letter saying if he doesn’t pay back more than $20,000, they’re going to start taking some of his Social Security payments.
“They didn’t do their work on the front end, and now they’re not willing to any work on the back end either,” Martinez said. “They created this environment and appears a lot of retirees are getting slammed with this. They’re going after old people to pay for their mistake.”
A growing number of people are on the hook for small business loans they never applied for and don’t even qualify for.
Dawn Forest of Venice, Florida, and Joseph Carpenter of Pinellas County received similar letters.