WALPOLE, Mass. — A Walpole single mother whose government benefits were stolen in a rampant EBT card skimming scam will likely not be reimbursed due to a change in federal policy.
Paige Ward told Boston 25 News she had used her government benefits card at a couple of Walpole stores, one of which had a skimming device installed on the card reader.
Thieves use skimming devices to steal card information and PINs, often creating clone cards to then use elsewhere to drain the victims’ accounts.
When Ward tried to buy groceries for her three kids for the week last Sunday, she was stunned to find her account had been emptied. The biweekly $450 deposit from the government she uses to feed her kids was stolen in two quick withdrawals at an ATM in a town she has never visited.
“I had my card on me. So, I was like, ‘How does this happen?’” said Ward. “I was devastated because at that moment, I lost it all… In an instant, everything was taken from us, and I have nothing for my children, no money to pay my bills.”
Ward is going back to school and relying on government benefits to support her family as they mark a year in their Walpole apartment, after spending six years in a family homeless shelter.
But on Thursday, Ward said, her children went to school without snacks.
“I felt horrible. I felt guilt, I felt shame, remorse, because, is it my fault because I’m even basically on this assistance?” she said.
When Ward called the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and did her own online research, she found that the federal government no longer reimburses stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds as of last month.
Betsy Gwin, an attorney for the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute focusing on economic justice issues, explained that the federal government had been reimbursing those stolen benefits since the end of 2022 when Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
However, when Congress failed to extend that replacement provision late last year, families who had their benefits stolen could no longer get them replaced, Gwin said.
The Mass Law Reform Institute is now pushing the state to step up and set aside $1 million a month to cover stolen SNAP funds that are not being refunded after Dec. 20, 2024.
“This is a real tragedy,” Gwin said, “and we are urging the governor and the legislature to ensure that families are made whole when their benefits are stolen.”
Since 2022, more than $12 million in SNAP benefits have been stolen from Massachusetts families by no fault of their own, Gwin said. About 25,000 Massachusetts have been affected by SNAP theft.
“We hear from folks every day who are going to the store, in the checkout line, and discovering just as they’re going to pay for their groceries that they only have a dollar or a few cents in their EBT account because all of the money has been drained out,” Gwin said.
Currently, EBT cards have a magnetic strip that can only be swiped, making them vulnerable to skimming. The policy center is also urging Mass DTA to expedite an update that would convert EBT cards to a chip-and-tap system, technology that has become a standard for secure banking.
“For years our state and federal government have left SNAP households that rely on EBT cards to access their SNAP benefits as second-class consumers,” Gwin said. “The only systemic solution to protect SNAP theft based on the kinds of schemes that we’re seeing right now… is to transition EBT cards to utilize chip and tap technology.”
Meanwhile, Ward is waiting on a new EBT card and trying to get by until her next government deposit. She hopes to alert others of the scam and encourage families to take extra precautions.
“I feel bad for my children the most,” Ward said. “I could go without. As long as they have what they need, I’m okay. But stealing from children, it’s just mindboggling.”
Boston 25 News reached out to Gov. Healey’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
The State House News Service reports Rep. Sally Kerans and Sen. Robyn Kennedy have filed bills that would require the state to reimburse stolen SNAP funds that the federal government does not replace.
Mass DTA urges (Protect Your Benefits From Scams | Mass.gov) EBT cardholders to change their PIN frequently and utilize a new function of locking their cards when not in use to prevent theft.
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