SNAP Benefits Will Now Be Repayed For Residents Who Lost Money To Scam
A website and system have been established by New York City to provide reimbursement to individuals who have had their SNAP benefits stolen due to skimming incidents.
The initial report regarding the theft of SNAP benefits emerged just before the 2022 holiday season in the Rockaways area. Numerous families in the region shared identical stories, recounting how they visited grocery stores with their EBT cards containing SNAP benefits, only to discover their funds had vanished. The investigation continued for several months, and now, a positive development has emerged: federal funds are accessible, and the city is aiding in expediting the claims process.
One 50-year-old individual who had been anticipating this information for eight months can finally initiate the process of recovering the $900 that was taken from her EBT card. This unamed residents situation is not unique; city officials estimate that there are roughly 22,000 victims of skimming in New York City.
New York State Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson, representing Far Rockaway, Queens, informed us that his office received numerous calls similar to Martinez’s case, indicating a troubling rise in benefit fraud involving skimming.
Skimming involves scammers surreptitiously installing devices on ATM readers to extract information from EBT cards containing SNAP benefits. This stolen information is then used to empty individuals’ accounts.
According to SNAP Deputy Director Augusto Escalante, an online portal is now operational to enable thousands of New Yorkers to submit their claims of being skimming victims, starting from August 21st. Due to recent Federal and State legislation, residents of New York City who have fallen victim to skimming and had their SNAP and/or Cash Assistance benefits stolen can now submit claims for replacement benefits for the first time. Escalante mentioned that once a claim is filed, the processing time is expected to be around thirty days.
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