Without a job, California woman forced to live a lie

This story started on 
 CNN iReport

By Christina Zdanowicz, CNN

September 24, 2011 -- Updated 0640 GMT (1440 HKT)

Sukhraj Beasla, 30, was earning up to $70,000 a year before she was laid off two years ago.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Sukhraj Beasla, 30, lost her job as a bank manager two years ago
• Her parents still tell their friends she's gainfully employed
• Figures show the poverty rate in the U.S. is at its highest since 1993
• Living slightly above the national poverty rate, Beasla still struggles to make ends meet

(CNN) -- Sukhraj Beasla's parents boast that their successful daughter works at a bank. The problem is that it's all a lie -- she was laid off more than two years ago.

The tentacles of this lie taunt her, adding to mounting familial pressure to get it together.