Brooklyn City Council Member, Zhuang Wenyi, along with several council colleagues, on Friday (November 22nd) sent an urgent letter to Molly Wasow Park, the Director of the Human Resources Administration (HRA), expressing concerns over reports of EBT welfare card misuse raised by constituents. Many residents relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, have been unable to access essential benefits due to unauthorized transactions resulting from leaked welfare card information. Zhuang’s office alone has received over 800 related complaints just this summer.
Zhuang had previously written to the HRA in September urging for enhanced EBT card security measures and an extension of the deadline for constituents to report stolen benefits. However, she has not received a response to date. With the deadline for individuals to report stolen benefits approaching on December 20th, Zhuang emphasized the critical importance of understanding the security measures currently in place at the HRA.
“I want to thank my colleagues at the City Council for collaborating on this letter with me,” Zhuang emphasized. “Our office has received numerous complaints from constituents, especially vulnerable elderly individuals reliant on benefits for basic livelihood. They deserve to know what steps the city government is taking to safeguard their EBT welfare cards, especially with the impending deadline approaching. I look forward to the HRA’s response and will share relevant information with constituents.”
The joint letter was led by Zhuang Wenyi and signed by Council Members Shaun Abreu, Chris Banks, Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Carmen De La Rosa, Jim Gennaro, Camilla Hanks, Shekar Krishnan, Julie Menin, Mercedes Narcisse, Dr. Nantasha Williams, and Julie Won.
The letter highlighted that many constituents have suffered from compromised SNAP benefits due to stolen EBT cards, particularly making elderly individuals vulnerable to online scams and related issues. The council members suggested that the HRA should implement additional security measures, such as automatically restricting SNAP expenditures for out-of-state and online transactions, to mitigate the risk of unauthorized use.
Furthermore, the letter requested the HRA to provide detailed explanations of the measures taken to ensure EBT card security by December 10th, and urged prompt enhancements to relevant security mechanisms to prevent constituents’ essential benefits from being compromised again.