NJ food stamps wiped out: People finding their EBT cards with missing funds

💲EBT card users noticed funds missing

💲Lakewood police said thefts were reported

💲How to prevent fraud

Several EBT card users have reported missing funds from their accounts.

The Lakewood Scoop was first to report that police have been “inundated” with calls about missing EBT funds, which are part of the welfare program sometimes called food stamps. In some cases, fraudulent purchases were made online using the stolen information, readers told the Scoop.

Retailers are urging customers to change their PIN to guard against future theft.

Lakewood police Capt. Gregg Staffordsmith told New Jersey 101.5 that law enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions were notified about the possible thefts.

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Funds stolen? You're out of luck

State Department of Human Services spokesman Tom Hester said the there is a "bigger issue" at play but would not disclose details. He referred to the FBI website page on skimming devices, which illegally steal data from cards at retail checkouts.

There's more bad news for anyone who loses their funds, according to the agency's website.

"Any benefits stolen on or after December 21, 2024 are not eligible for replacement, as a result of a change in the federal budget," the site says.

The budget approved by Congress and signed by then-President Joe Biden to keep the federal government operating without interruption did not include the replacement provision.

As of April 2024, 829,381 people in New Jersey received SNAP benefits, which are distributed using EBT cards.

Benefits may be electronically stolen in the following ways, according to the agency.

• Skimming means illegally attaching a device to a point-of-sale machine to steal EBT card information or a PIN.
• Cloning means copying stolen EBT card information to a new card.
• Scamming means convincing someone to disclose their EBT card information, often by a fraudulent phone call or text message that pretends to be from an official government agency (commonly known as phishing.)

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