SNAP thefts surpass $3.6M since December
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Stolen SNAP benefits are becoming a growing concern, especially when it comes to skimming and phishing incidents.
The rate of SNAP theft is on the rise, with a million dollars stolen monthly from residents' accounts, according to the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, an advocacy group for low-income families.
The advocacy group says roughly 7,800 Massachusetts families have had more than $3.6 million stolen from their accounts since mid-December. Criminals are increasingly targeting Electronic Benefit Transfer cards used for SNAP. They're installing devices at ATMs and point-of-sale terminals to steal card information, which they then use to make fake cards and steal benefits.
Director of the Springfield Mayor's Office of Consumer Information, Milagros Johnson, told 22News, 'Never, never, ever share your information or your PIN with anyone over the phone who calls you. And you can also be called DTA and ask that the funds go directly into your bank account rather than an empty card. That way, you have the money available in your bank account. You withdraw, which you're going to need.'
The Department of Transitional Assistance has a free Connect mobile app for download. This is a new EBT card locking feature that allows people to control when their card is usable by locking and unlocking it through the app.
When an EBT card is locked, benefits can't be stolen. It's also recommended to change your EBT PIN every month. The DTA is also pursuing chipped EBT card technology.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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