This year alone, thousands of low-income New Yorkers have had benefits stolen from their EBT cards, which allow them to buy food at certain stores. “It was very hard,” one victim told City Limits after having her SNAP account drained three separate times.
A sign for EBT in a storefront on East Gun Hill Road in the Bronx. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)
In just a year, Theresa Price has had her food assistance money—which she qualifies for under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—stolen three times.
Each time it happened, it left her with $292 less to eat that month.
Each time, she borrowed money to cover what got taken.
Two of the thefts occurred in April and September—after the federal government’s reimbursement period expired at the end of last year, meaning her stolen benefits could not be replaced.
“They would tell you to go to the [food] pantry,” Price recalled hearing from the city’s Human Resources Administration (HRA) staff after she reported the incident. “It was hard. It was very hard.”
Price, 61, is one of tens of thousands of people who’ve had money stolen from their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards in New York State this year.
She and other victims are now left with little to no recourse: the federal government stopped accepting reimbursement claims at the end of September, and only for thefts that took place before Dec. 21, 2024. Lawmakers in Congress failed to renew the replacement benefits.
New York has been a nest for EBT “skimming,” in which hidden devices steal payment information after someone swipes their card. According to the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), which administers SNAP in New York, $51.8 million was paid in reimbursements from Aug. 23, 2023, through June 30, 2025.
In just the first six months of this year—from Jan. 1 to June 30—New Yorkers reported a total of $14.5 million in stolen SNAP benefits statewide, OTDA officials told City Limits.
“OTDA takes any report of benefit theft seriously and remains committed to protecting New Yorkers’ benefits from scammers. EBT users are urged to be aware of skimming fraud and be vigilant about keeping track of their benefits,” an OTDA spokesperson said in a statement.
Although the SNAP program is federally funded to help low-income households pay for food, states are in charge of running it. In New York, OTDA oversees it, while HRA operates and manages the program in the city.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in charge of SNAP at the federal level, did not respond to questions about the impact of the thefts, with its press office saying via email that it’s unable to immediately reply to media inquiries due to the ongoing government shutdown.
As of September, residents of New York City alone had filed more than 34,000 SNAP skimming claims, according to HRA, part of the New York City Department of Social Services (DSS).
DSS also stated that, after the federal reimbursement period ended, fewer people have submitted claims because they knew their benefits will not be replaced, making it difficult to determine the full extent of the problem.
In April, for example, after Price’s funds were stolen for the second time, she didn’t return to an HRA office to report it. Nor did she complain to the police when her benefits were stolen for the third time in September.
“I screamed. I really screamed,” she said of the third incident. “I didn’t go to the precinct or anything, because it was a waste of time.”
Since 2023, state legislators have introduced bills that would require New York to upgrade to chip-secured EBT cards, but the legislation has yet to pass. Other states, like California and Oklahoma, have already transitioned to more secure cards.
In July, Legal Services NYC filed a lawsuit demanding the state to switch to safer card technology, and to make a plan to replace SNAP benefits that are lost to skimming until more secure cards are available.
Days later, OTDA put out a request for proposals seeking a vendor to provide a Common Benefit Identification Card (CBIC), which would allow New Yorkers to access various governmental benefits such as SNAP, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Medicaid, Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, and Health Benefit Exchange programs.
On Oct. 7, dozens of New York organizations, including anti-hunger advocates, sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging the state to allocate funding—both to upgrade the existing magnetic-strip benefit cards with more secure, encrypted chip technology, and to replace stolen benefits for those affected after the 2024 deadline.
“Skimming exacerbates food insecurity and financial stress for already vulnerable households, making it harder for them to meet their basic needs and maintain stability,” reads the letter. “We have heard countless heartbreaking and unacceptable stories from families who have needed to skip meals or put groceries back on the shelf after discovering at the cash register that their food benefits have been stolen.”
One woman who spoke to City Limits, who asked to remain anonymous, said her family had to delay paying rent after their EBT money was stolen over the summer. “We took money from rent to have money to buy groceries,” the 31-year-old woman, mother to a 1-year-old baby, said in Spanish.
To make up for the stolen SNAP funds, her husband, who works in a restaurant, would sell flowers near their home in the South Bronx after his shift for a couple of weeks.
A storefront on East 204th Street in the Bronx. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)
Not 100 percent effective
Three people affected by the theft of benefits who spoke with City Limits about their experiences said they’d taken precautions to prevent skimming. They’d downloaded the ebtEDGE mobile app, which allows them to “freeze” the card when not in use. Two had also disabled out-of-state transactions.
Susan Kingsland, deputy director of social services at the Red de Pueblos Trasnacionales (Transnational Villages Network), a community-based organization that’s a plaintiff in Legal Services NYC’s lawsuit, said it’s frustrating to run workshops instructing their clients on how to use EBT cards safely, but still see people getting robbed.
“What is also really important is [that] there are some measures you can take to prevent it, but it’s never a 100 percent guarantee,” Kingsland said.
DSS officials acknowledged that this is the primary reason they’re advocating for the chip-technology card change.
Although not foolproof, officials and advocates recommended the following:
Use the EBT card freeze feature in the ebtEDGE app (available in Apple App Store and Google Play Store) or the ebtEDGE website. Only unfreeze the card right before making a purchase, and lock the card right away after to prevent new transactions.
Changing PINs often, and not sharing them with anyone.
Tracking your EBT account and transactions.
Avoid clicking on unknown links in emails or texts to avoid falling for “phishing.”
When paying at a cash register, check and shake the card reader a little, since skimming devices are sometimes flimsily attached to keypads or card readers. “Be alert for irregularities with retailer terminals—loose keypads or card readers—before using them,” an OTDA spokesperson suggested.
If you encounter a skimming device, call the HRA Fraud Unit at 718-557-1399.
If my EBT benefits are stolen, what should I do?
If you’re using the ebtEDGE app, freeze the card immediately. Report it right away and request a new card at an HRA office or at www.ebtEDGE.com, on the ebtEDGE app, or over the phone through the EBT Customer Service Helpline at 1-888-328-6399.
Those who have managed to steal funds from a card may steal them again from the same card, so a new one is recommended.
To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Daniel@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org
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