A Chinese resident living in the Rego Park area of Queens, Ms. Zheng, reported to our newspaper on July 2nd that her Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card had been fraudulently charged for three consecutive months starting from May 1st. Each month on the 1st, the funds from her food stamp card would be completely drained, despite her efforts to block the card. The compensation policy for the stolen funds is no longer available, leaving her feeling distressed.
Ms. Zheng’s EBT card has been fraudulently depleted three times this year, in addition to an incident in October last year. The city’s Department of Social Services warned her that if she continues to request replacements for her EBT card four or more times within 12 months, her case will be transferred to the Integrity Department of the Social Services Bureau for investigation to ensure there is no fraudulent activity.
She is extremely frustrated and puzzled as to how her card got drained even after it was locked and features like out-of-state and online purchases were disabled.
Ms. Zheng stated that her monthly food stamp benefits amount to over $500. Last October, her EBT card was fraudulently charged, but she received compensation from the government. However, on May 1st (the day her benefits are deposited each month), she was shocked to find her balance was zero before she even swiped her card at the supermarket.
The day before, on April 30th, she had just used the card at a Chinese-owned small supermarket in Elmhurst to spend the remaining balance for the month, only to discover the funds were stolen the next day.
She visited the local Department of Social Services on Northern Boulevard in Queens to report the incident. The response she received was that incidents of EBT fraud that occurred after December 21, 2024, would no longer be compensated with federal funds, but she could request a new card. She followed this advice and locked the card, only to find that the funds were again stolen on the following month’s 1st.
Fearful of further theft, she made another request for a new card with the same number as before, disabled out-of-state and online transactions online, and locked the card, hoping to prevent any future incidents. Unfortunately, on July 1st, she discovered that her funds were once again stolen when she went grocery shopping early in the morning – the thief had struck before she had the chance to use the funds.
Having lost at least $1,500 over the past three months with no possibility of compensation, she is anxious about the possibility of it happening again next month.
An elected representative has advised the public to be cautious when using EBT cards as the compensation policy for fraud no longer exists. It is recommended to avoid using the card in small grocery stores or supermarkets.
The main reason for EBT card fraud is the theft of card information (card number, PIN) by skimmers, who then clone the card or use the information for online or out-of-state purchases. Consumers should check card readers for any abnormalities when swiping the card and report any suspicious activity to the supermarket. It is also advisable to change the PIN of the EBT card regularly and implement a one-time lock on the card (unlock only when in use). Additionally, the functionality for out-of-state and online purchases on the EBT website (https://www.ebtedge.com/gov/portal/PortalHome.do) should be disabled.
In addition to these preventive measures, in the event of fraud, it is recommended to not only request a replacement card (which would retain the same card number) but also to report the original card as lost, freeze it, and apply for a new card with a new card number.