Scammers Swiping Funds of Benefit Cards

YS Gold 

Close to 20,000 claims have been filed for stolen food stamp funds off of their state-issued benefit cards. 

According to Eyewitness News, scammers were accessing the cards using skimming devices to steal the funds. Until recently, stolen food stamp benefits were non-refundable due to regulations from the Department of Agriculture, which regulates the SNAP benefits as reported by Rockland Daily here. 

“Until recently, victims of electronic benefits theft had no way of recovering their stolen benefits, but, as a result of new federal and state laws, they can now recoup some or all of their stolen benefits simply by submitting a claim to HRA," New York City's Department of Social Services said in a statement. "This is a major victory for victims of electronic benefits theft, and we look forward to helping more New Yorkers recover the benefits that are rightfully theirs."

Victims of benefits theft may report the fraud immediately by visiting your ConnectEBT account. You can also call the EBT Customer Service hotline at 1-888-328-6399.