EBT card holders will not be reimbursed for stolen benefits

Paul Hassay is one of many people in the Mahoning Valley that’s struggling to get by after falling victim to EBT scammers. 

Hassay was on his way to shop at the grocery store when he checked his card's balance and it came up as zero after it was supposed to be reloaded that day.

“I didn’t know what to do, I started to panic,” Hassay said. “That was my go get my sauerkraut and everything for New Year’s dinner.”

Hassey lost more than a month's worth of food stamps. He reported the benefits as missing and was told the unauthorized transaction was traced back to a grocery store in Chicago that he had never been too.

“That's 300 dollars worth of food I don't get in my life,” Hassay said.

More than a dozen people have reported the same situation to the Mahoning County Department of Jobs and Family Services. On Wednesday, a Boardman woman reported an unauthorized charge of $148.70 to her food stamps card. A Boardman Police Report states the transaction was traced back to a convenience store in Brooklyn, New York. 

All of the scams are initially suspected to be from card skimmers. The devices are placed over the pinpads at checkouts and when a person inserts or swipes the card, scammers get all your account information.

EBT or SNAP benefits are often called food stamps, which are federally funded. The preloaded cards are often granted to low income families to assist with buying groceries.

People used to be able to get their stolen food stamps back thanks to a federal law. But that guarantee expired on Dec. 20 so anyone who was a victim after that may never get their money back.

“It's rotten for all of us people that are there. I mean it's not right, why are we being sorted out,” Hassay said. 

Hassay deactivated his card and is being cautious in the future to try and prevent this from happening again. But until his card is reloaded next month, he says it’ll be tough to get by. 

“There's nothing you can do," he said. "Starve.” 

The USDA has several tips on how to prevent account information from being stolen:

• Avoid simple PINs. Number combinations such as 1111, 1234 or 9876 may be easy for others to guess.
• Keep your PIN and card number secret. Do not share your PIN or card number with anyone outside your household. Cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.
• Beware of phishing. State agencies and EBT processors will never call or text to ask for your PIN or card number.
• Change your PIN often. Change your PIN at least once a month, right before your benefit issuance date.
• Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you see any, change your PIN right away to stop the thief from making new purchases. Report suspicious activity to your local SNAP office.
• Contact your local SNAP office. If you think you are the victim of card skimming and your SNAP benefits were stolen, contact your local SNAP office.

If someone suspects their benefits were stolen they should file a report with the card provider, your local police department, the attorney general's office and the federal trade commission.