HOUSTON – A Houston mother abandoned her cart full of groceries at the checkout counter after discovering thieves had drained her family’s SNAP benefits.
Crystal Yanez is just the latest victim in a nationwide surge of benefit theft that has caught the attention of federal investigators.
A single mother of five, Yanez learned her account had been emptied when her card was declined at the store. The funds were used more than 1,100 miles away in Durham, North Carolina—a place she has never visited.
“I had just lost my job, so I was depending on that to go through the month until I found a job,” Yanez said.
The federal investigation revealed organized crime groups are using advanced skimming devices to steal electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card data from SNAP recipients across the country, with losses exceeding $380 million in taxpayer funds over the past 18 months.
- How SNAP Skimming Works
Criminals install nearly undetectable electronic devices on store payment terminals that capture card information when SNAP recipients swipe their EBT cards.
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The stolen data is later used to create counterfeit cards, emptying victims’ accounts often hundreds of miles away from where the information was stolen.
“Across the country, the Secret Service is leading an initiative to combat transnational organized crime groups that are specifically targeting our benefits programs here to the tune of $18 billion a year,” said Michael Peck, Secret Service Assistant Special Agent.
Operation Flagship
Recent operations by the Secret Service and local law enforcement have yielded significant results:
- New York City: 55 skimming devices discovered and removed
- Washington State: Four devices located and seized
Detective Daniel Allesandrino of the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force emphasized the importance of disrupting criminal networks.
“The biggest thing is to disrupt the networks, and by seizing these devices, we’re saving money from the victims who need it,” said Det. Allesandrino.
Outdated EBT Cards
While credit and debit cards have evolved to include chip technology, SNAP EBT cards in nearly every state still rely on older, vulnerable magnetic stripe technology.
California remains the only state offering chip-enabled SNAP cards, though the Texas Health and Human Services Commissions tells KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding that they are developing similar protection.
There’s no timeline on when that technology will be rolled out.