On November 12 (Wednesday), Council Member Grace Meng and the non-profit senior center organization “Empower Community Center” in Flushing jointly invited the Police Department and the Investigation Department of the city to hold a seminar on EBT card (Electronic Benefit Transfer card) theft prevention, to educate the elderly on how to avoid becoming victims of EBT fraud.
After the meeting, the Chinese director of the senior center, Helen Yang, summarized that seniors should try to spend the SNAP benefits they receive monthly on essentials like food to prevent hoarding money. She advised to freeze the card at all times and only unfreeze it right before making a payment to reduce the risk of it being stolen.
According to Katie Foley, the General Manager of External Affairs at the Empower Community Center located on Linden Road, Flushing, the center serves a total of 25,000 elderly people in New York City and has handled thousands of cases of food stamp EBT card fraud over the years.
“These cases are quite common,” Foley said. “Therefore, it is crucial to educate the community on relevant knowledge, informing the elderly on how to freeze and replace cards, and what measures to take to protect themselves.”
Jessica Leung, a Chinese investigator from the New York City Department of Human Resources, as the keynote speaker, explained that EBT fraud is a form of financial fraud where thieves steal EBT card information at store checkouts or ATMs. She detailed how criminals install skimmers at checkouts or ATMs to steal seniors’ card numbers and PINs, as well as taught the elderly how to freeze their cards on government websites.
Leung emphasized that the new EBT cards have introduced a card freeze feature, which can be easily done by downloading the ebtEDGE app on mobile devices. By selecting “Freeze Card” on the app, the EBT card is locked until you choose to unfreeze it when making a payment.
“That means you open your card with this app at the last second before you pay, close it after paying the money,” Jessica Leung said. “In other words, thieves can only steal money when you use this card, significantly reducing the chances of theft. This method should be very effective.”
A recent report from the New York City Investigation Bureau showed that from August 2023 to March 2025, the New York City Social Services Agency processed over 142,000 food stamp reimbursement applications involving victims of EBT theft, reimbursing over $43.7 million of stolen welfare funds.
Helen Yang, the Chinese director of the senior center, reiterated her advice to seniors to spend their monthly food stamps promptly.
“This is the government giving you monthly food stamps, as soon as the money comes in, you should buy rice, dry goods, and other essentials and use the money, don’t save it, never save it,” she said. “If you can’t use it right away, then lock the card.”
However, she noted that because elderly people are not adept at using smartphones, some elderly individuals in their center often ended up locking their cards because they couldn’t figure out the app.
For more ways to protect welfare benefits, visit: otda.ny.gov/EBTscam.