(WBRE/WYOU)— More reports of EBT card skimming are popping up across our area.
Over the past week, 28/22 News has received dozens of messages from people from Luzerne County saying their EBT cards were skimmed and drained, leaving them without the government assistance they rely on to buy food for their families.
The Department of Human Services, which oversees SNAP and EBT programs, say they are aware of the issue, but due to the end of Congressional authorization nationwide, stolen benefits can no longer be refunded.
One local community organization says they are hoping to help those who are impacted.
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Elizabeth Rodriguez, from Scranton, is the president of Giving Back to the Community Inc., a local 501c3 nonprofit.
She was called to action, after she says her daughter's EBT benefits were taken fraudulently.
Her daughter's account shows large amounts taken one after the other, soon after the benefits were deposited.
"It hit home. She has a little girl, she's a single mom, works, but we all know with the economy, the help is needed," said Rodriguez.
Her daughter, Sabrina Guzman, says she's lucky she has the support of her family, but she knows others may not be as fortunate.
"It's not just happening to me it's happening to elderly, disabled, other families with multiple children. So, it makes me emotional and upset," expressed Guzman.
Michele Falvo, from Scranton, says her daughter's card was compromised. That account also displays multiple transactions after benefits went in.
"And how do you make ends meet? I'm on disability, any little penny I have I'm trying to help her," stated Falvo.
After learning more about the problem, Rodriguez says she took to social media, asking if other people were impacted.
"I think in less than a half hour I had 108 comments, different regions, Luzerne and Lackawanna were the majority," added Rodriguez.
Rodriguez says she took this a step further, contacting her local State Representative Kyle Donahue (D).
He says after being made aware of the issue; his office is working to help.
"Working with the local food banks to try to come up with solutions in terms of getting people food they need you know right now," explained Rep. Donahue.
Representative Donahue says this includes keeping shelves at food pantries stocked, and trying to extend hours, making it them more accessible for people who work. They are also working to help get food to people who are unable to go and pick it up themselves.
The question these three women have... Where do they go from here?
In November of 2024, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture sent a letter to all 50 governors, notifying them that states now have the opportunity to implement EBT cards with chip technology to make them more secure.
We reached out to the Department of Human Services to see what security measures they are taking with EBT cards in Pennsylvania, they issued the following response:
DHS has already added additional layers of security, including no longer allowing users to select common personal identification numbers (pins) for their EBT cards, such as 1111 or 1234. DHS is working with our EBT contractor, conduit, and the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to evaluate options to further enhance EBT security, including chip cards.
In November 2024, the USDA indicated that costs to transition to chip cards for EBT are eligible for 50 percent reimbursement from the federal government as a snap administrative cost. We are still determining the potential costs for PA's to transition to chip cards and expect to have a better estimate after the 2025-26 budget proposal is released next month.
Department of Human Services
DHS also says they are working with the vendor of their EBT app to deploy a lock feature that can be activated by the cardholder.
This would prevent unauthorized transactions.
