Read the full article on KETV 7
The Food Bank for the Heartland’s SNAP hotline is reporting a sharp increase in EBT fraud calls this month, with stolen funds leaving some families without their benefits. DHHS is currently investigating alleged scammers who are making purchases with stolen EBT funds, after the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 130 fraud cases in just one week in January. The Food Bank for the Heartland warns that once the money is taken, it cannot be replaced, but families can take steps to prevent further incidents.”The calls picked up that first week in January. And that is when we saw a lot of fraud, especially in Lincoln. But it was at several locations throughout Nebraska. We really didn’t see a whole lot in Iowa. But now the first part of February, we’re seeing it in both states,” SNAP Director at Food Bank for the Heartland Cindy Doerr said. For the second consecutive month, the Food Bank for the Heartland’s SNAP hotline has been inundated with calls. Doerr explained that families are calling after finding their EBT accounts drained. “We’ve definitely seen a large increase in calls from people who have experienced fraud. They’ve lost their SNAP benefits. And unfortunately, the states are not in a position at this moment to be able to replace those funds. so unfortunately, if those funds are stolen from the cards, the people do not have SNAP benefits for that month,” she said. DHHS attributes the high number of scammers stealing SNAP funds to card skimming, which involves devices placed on top of payment machines. “We recommend people change those pins at the very end of every month before their benefits are placed on the card. We also recommend that people freeze or lock their cards between uses,” Doerr said.Her team is working to help families find resources to compensate for lost funds. “We try to direct them to food pantries. But those food pantries are also stretched thin. And when they have to serve additional people because of the fraud, people are walking away with potentially less food,” Doerr said.The Food Bank for the Heartland’s hotline is available to assist families in both Nebraska and Iowa. Nebraska residents can call 1-855-444-5556, and Iowa residents can call 1-855-944-3663.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
The Food Bank for the Heartland’s SNAP hotline is reporting a sharp increase in EBT fraud calls this month, with stolen funds leaving some families without their benefits.
DHHS is currently investigating alleged scammers who are making purchases with stolen EBT funds, after the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 130 fraud cases in just one week in January. The Food Bank for the Heartland warns that once the money is taken, it cannot be replaced, but families can take steps to prevent further incidents.
Advertisement
“The calls picked up that first week in January. And that is when we saw a lot of fraud, especially in Lincoln. But it was at several locations throughout Nebraska. We really didn’t see a whole lot in Iowa. But now the first part of February, we’re seeing it in both states,” SNAP Director at Food Bank for the Heartland Cindy Doerr said.
For the second consecutive month, the Food Bank for the Heartland’s SNAP hotline has been inundated with calls. Doerr explained that families are calling after finding their EBT accounts drained.
“We’ve definitely seen a large increase in calls from people who have experienced fraud. They’ve lost their SNAP benefits. And unfortunately, the states are not in a position at this moment to be able to replace those funds. so unfortunately, if those funds are stolen from the cards, the people do not have SNAP benefits for that month,” she said.
DHHS attributes the high number of scammers stealing SNAP funds to card skimming, which involves devices placed on top of payment machines.
“We recommend people change those pins at the very end of every month before their benefits are placed on the card. We also recommend that people freeze or lock their cards between uses,” Doerr said.
Her team is working to help families find resources to compensate for lost funds.
“We try to direct them to food pantries. But those food pantries are also stretched thin. And when they have to serve additional people because of the fraud, people are walking away with potentially less food,” Doerr said.
The Food Bank for the Heartland’s hotline is available to assist families in both Nebraska and Iowa. Nebraska residents can call 1-855-444-5556, and Iowa residents can call 1-855-944-3663.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
