31-01-2025
How security upgrade could help Ohioans who have SNAP benefits stolen
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A security upgrade could save thousands of Ohioans from being a target of theft but it's an upgrade the government has to approve.
4 Investigates first told you last week: People on SNAP benefits, the program that used to be known as food stamps, are being targeted and taxpayers are victims, too. This has become an issue for Ohioans and has spread through the country.
4 Investigates reached out to every single Ohio representative in Congress asking if this is a priority for them. We've only received a few responses, so now we are taking the issue to our state representatives, asking if targeted Ohioans will receive any help.
'I've had my food stamps stolen twice, and I'm a single parent of three kids,' Columbus resident Mindy Hurley said.
Since 4 Investigates shared the story last week, more Ohioans have reached out saying they are the target of SNAP theft: When card skimmers on credit card machines capture account information.
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'I literally went to get cereal and milk for my kids for breakfast. And when I went to swipe my card, it said zero. And then I checked my balance history and it said that they was all stolen,' Hurley said.
In the last year, there has been 7,000 Franklin County reports of SNAP fraud. Across Ohio, it's nearly 27,000.
'There are criminals that are preying on vulnerable people who are facing hunger and hardship, who are showing up in grocery store lines to buy the groceries their families need, and who are finding that criminals have skimmed their benefits from their accounts,' Ohio Association of Food Banks Executive Director Joree Novotny said.
This crime combined with the end of pandemic era SNAP benefit increases is driving more people to food banks. 'The need we've seen over the past two years is unlike anything we've seen,' Novotny said.
The Ohio Association of Food Banks saw more than four million food pantry visits across the state from July through September of last year. 'We're seeing people continue to come to our lines and tell us in tears about how they're coming for help because they went to the grocery store to use their SNAP benefits and they weren't there on their cards,' Novotny said.
It's a feeling Mindy Hurley knows firsthand. She's had to cancel two different cards after having hundreds drained from her account. 'I cried. I mean, I'm struggling and it's not fair to my kids,' Hurley said.
There is a solution. 'The best solution that we know of and that we've been talking about with our elected officials is to modernize EBT cards, to chip enable them,' Novotny said.
A nationwide change would come from Congress, but Ohio and other states can make that choice too. 'States have to be partners in those solutions because they have to pay half of all of the operating costs to administer the SNAP program. So we're certainly in conversation with the state of Ohio as well about how we can better protect consumers today,' Novotny said.
Until a solution is in place, fear and uncertainty are just another thing those relying on SNAP have to deal with. 'If it happened twice, it can happen again,' Hurley said. 'I have three food stamp cards sitting in my house because I had to cancel them twice. And now I got a new one, and I'm scared.'
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4 Investigates spoke with Ohio Senator Tim Schaffer. He says the issue is on his radar, and says the Ohio Senate has tried to pass reform without success.
'The Ohio Senate has led those efforts in the state of Ohio to reform how we operate with SNAP and the cards we put out there. Unfortunately, there are a lot of self-described advocates for the poor that have vigorously opposed our efforts to add security enhancements to the SNAP cards,' Sen. Schaffer said.
Now, he says they are having more conversations about what can be done at the state level, despite it being a federal program.
'I think it's imperative that all states do everything that we can to investigate and add the next level of security enhancements on these snap food cards to prevent the criminal element from stealing these benefits. These benefits that are needed so desperate. And I think getting bipartisan support for an effort like that is, you know, a no brainer,' he said.
We also received a statement from Ohio Senator Beth Liston who said 'I absolutely want to ensure that Ohioans get the food they need and receive the benefits they are entitled to. Security chips embedded into SNAP cards similar to those on credit cards may be a possible solution and I have had discussions with some advocacy groups about this idea. However, we also need to make sure that any changes to Ohio's SNAP system do not make it more difficult for Ohioans to access food and other vital benefits.'
Two states are moving to chip cards: California and Oklahoma, and we'll track how that goes, to see if it cuts down on fraud.
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