On a day in April this year, Ms. Zheng Meiling, who lives in Rego Park, Queens, New York, bought $9 worth of food at a nearby public supermarket. Later, she found out that this was the last time she would be using her Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card from the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as she discovered the next day that her card had been emptied.
This is the emergence of EBT card theft crimes in the past two years, where criminals tamper with card readers to directly target elderly residents who benefit from this federal food stamp program.
The purpose of the US food stamp program is to help low-income families purchase healthy food, distributing subsidies through EBT for beneficiaries to use at designated stores.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, this program provides a total of $8.5 to $9 billion in benefits to 42 million people nationwide each month. In an interview with ABC TV in May this year, Patrick Freaney, head of the New York Office of Special Investigations, stated that EBT theft is a transnational crime, resulting in an annual national loss of up to $18 billion, equivalent to two months’ worth of federal food stamp benefits.
A recent report from the New York City Investigation Bureau revealed that in the past two and a half years from August 2023 to March 2025, the city’s Social Services Agency processed over 142,000 food stamp reimbursement applications involving victims of EBT card theft, totaling over $43.7 million in stolen benefits.
“We are unable to quantify all the victims in reality because not everyone comes to our office to file a report,” said Flushing City Councilor Huang Minyi, who often leads seminars for the elderly EBT victims in the community. Since last year, she has seen a significant increase in residents visiting her office due to their EBT cards being stolen, stating that these criminal acts are outrageous and devastating for the elderly who rely on these funds for groceries and basic needs.
After three months of her EBT card being stolen, Zheng Meiling finally walked into the 112th precinct in Queens on July 2nd this year.
“The police could track the purchase history of my EBT card. One day after it was stolen, someone was using my card excessively to make purchases,” Zheng Meiling told the media. “Although I reported the theft immediately and had the card canceled, the federal government still continued to deposit money into my original card for two consecutive months, causing me a loss of benefits for three months.”
Despite filing a report, Zheng Meiling felt frustrated by the lack of updates on her case.
On November 12th, investigators from the New York City Department of Personnel returned to a senior center in Flushing at the request of the police and the community to educate on the methods used by criminals in EBT theft cases and preventive measures.
According to the investigators, a common method of EBT theft is through skimming information from the card’s magnetic stripe and then repeatedly using that information for theft. This method can also be used on bank ATMs.
The most common approach is to install a skimmer device on ATM or store card readers to steal card information. These devices are usually designed to blend in with the card reader and are difficult to detect. Additionally, criminals use additional devices like PIN pads coverings and pinhole camera devices around ATMs to steal your PIN.
“Stores are often unaware that these devices have been installed,” said Chinese investigator Jessica Leung at a seminar held at the Self-Reliance Senior Center in Flushing. “So if you discover that your card has been skimmed at a particular store, it is best to avoid visiting that store again, as they may not even be aware of the installation. We encourage everyone to report such incidents by calling the hotline (888-328-6399).”
The typical modus operandi of thieves involves a team of two to three individuals working together. While one person distracts the cashier, another keeps an eye out for others, allowing a third person to quickly install the skimming device on the card reader.
These devices can capture and store all card data, transmitting the information via Bluetooth to the thief’s phone. The device’s battery can last up to 14 days, during which the thief can enter the site daily to download data and then leave, returning to retrieve the device when the battery dies on the 14th day.
In May of this year, the US Secret Service, in conjunction with the New York City Police Department and the US Department of Agriculture, launched a three-day operation in New York City codenamed “Operation Flagship” to combat EBT theft crimes. The operation targeted illegal debit cards and EBT machines used to steal user funds.
“Most people know the Secret Service for providing security, but our original mission was to combat counterfeit currency for the Department of Treasury. Since our establishment till now, we have been tracking the flow of funds,” explained Patrick Freaney, head of the New York Secret Service office. “This operation serves as a warning to the community that we have identified fraudulent activities related to food stamps and EBT cards, and also as a warning to criminals that they will be held accountable by law.”
During the operation, agents raided a grocery store on Broadway Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn, discovering skimming devices hidden in the card reader. Additionally, the store was found to be using a “cloned device” connected to another business in the area.
“The store was using a cloned device, meaning it was replicated from another store, allowing them to process EBT cards and siphon funds from victims,” law enforcement said, believing that the retailer was aware of the reader’s existence. In the three-day raid, the Secret Service seized 55 criminal card reading devices.
Last month, the Secret Service returned to New York for another EBT theft enforcement operation. From October 7th to 9th, law enforcement officers visited 943 merchants, inspecting and removing illegal skimming devices from ATMs, gas pumps, and sales terminals; they collaborated with local and federal agencies to examine over 4,000 terminals and uncovered 65 skimming devices, preventing potential losses of about $67.8 million from EBT theft.
“If you discover a theft, the first thing to do is change your password, then report the theft, and apply for a new card,” advised investigator Leung. “To prevent theft, if you have a mobile phone, you can continuously lock your card until the moment you need to make a payment.”
The investigator introduced an app called ebtEDGE, which can be downloaded on Apple or Android phones and allows users to “freeze” their cards step-by-step. This way, even if criminals steal card numbers and passwords, they cannot access the money on the card.
EBT theft victim Zheng Meiling from Queens stated that she currently uses this app and only unlocks it when making payments, saying, “This method is very effective.”
After her EBT theft, Zheng Meiling had requested compensation from the federal government, only to find out the program had already expired. Previously, federal law allowed for reimbursement of stolen benefits from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2024; however, the law limited the reimbursement amount to the stolen amount or two months’ worth of benefits, whichever was less.
Earlier this year, New York Democratic Congressional Representative Grace Meng, Republican state Assemblyman Mike Lawler, and Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman jointly introduced the “Fair Act for Food Stamp Welfare Fraud Victims,” aimed at allowing states to compensate welfare recipients whose benefits were stolen.
Meng mentioned that since the federal tracking began, over 118,000 New Yorkers have filed claims for their EBT electronic cards being skimmed, more than twice the number in other states.
“Stealing these benefits from hungry families is despicable,” Meng said in a statement, emphasizing that food stamps are a “lifeline” for thousands of New Yorkers. “I am honored to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan-supported bill to ensure that anyone reliant on food stamp programs to make ends meet does not go hungry due to malicious theft of benefits.”
Zheng Meiling expressed her anticipation for the passage of this bill, stating, “It would be great if we could be compensated! I am looking forward to this positive news.”