LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Federal law requires states to refund stolen benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but that could change soon.
In Lexington at Coolavin Park, when Barbara Gieske woke up Tuesday, she discovered major issues with her EBT Card.
"I only had 55 cents, and they had literally taken $732 off of my EBT card," Gieske said.
Gieske said she was hacked by someone in the Bronx, New York.
"It was debits from a deli in Bronx, New York and I don't live in New York, so I don't understand how they got my information," Gieske added.
As Gieske waits to get reimbursed, a process that could take up to two weeks, she won't have money she was counting on to get groceries for her two kids.
Tyler Offerman, a food justice organizer, refers to 2020 and COVID-19 as a critical turning point in the uptick in EBT Theft.
"The rise of this sort of Cyber criminal enterprise that has just had a confluence of the rise of AI technology," Gieske said.
EBT theft is an ongoing issue for grocers too and the director of communications for the Kentucky Grocers and Convenience Store Association pointed out the impact from the perspective of his members.
"Snap benefits are a big part of people coming into their stores and making purchases," Steve McClain said.
McClain notes the much larger issue, people needing these benefits to put food on the table for their families. KTAP cash assistance also goes onto EBT Cards.
Angela Saylor, who is battling stomach cancer as a mother of two, says her KTAP Account was hacked September 1, by someone in Arizona.
"It was about 12:30, one o'clock, and they took $407, and when I went back, there was $25," Saylor said.
In cases like this, Tyler Offerman tells LEX 18 technology for EBT Cards is outdated with no chip, saying, of the cards used, it's the most susceptible to fraud.
Offerman is calling on lawmakers to get a long-term strategy in place to break up and disrupt criminal operations when it comes to EBT and KTAP theft.
The United States Department of Agriculture reports 2,338 as the total number of stolen benefits claims in Kentucky in the second quarter of 2024. For the total value of stolen benefits during that time, the amount is $1,108,484.97.
