‘I was devastated': Woman says SNAP benefits were stolen, asks for help

Tenise Farrington says she still remembers the moment she went to use her monthly SNAP benefits last month and found out the money was gone.

“I entered my PIN number on the website and it showed me $0.04 and I’m like, I got 4 cents?,” she said. “Something can’t be right.”

She says she logged onto her SNAP benefits account and found someone had drained the $300 that had been deposited. The suspicious back-to-back transactions, happening at locations in Philadelphia just minutes apart.

“I mean it’s frustrating because my income, I don’t have none right now,” she said. “My unemployment just stopped. I have to buy food for my daughter.”

And Tenise isn’t alone. Across the country, more than 124,000 households have lost over $61 million in stolen benefits since last year.  Criminals often use hidden skimming devices to lift the card data. Then, they use the information to create fake payment cards and steal the money from the victims’ accounts.

The Florida Department of Children and Families says the state has a plan in place to address this type of SNAP benefit fraud. Under the plan, potential fraud victims have to submit a claim. The department then has 10 business days from the time they receive the form to review it and if the claim is approved, the department will replace the benefits by the 10^th business day.

“They need to give us a voucher,” Tenise said. “They need to give us something.”

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Tenise said she submitted her claim and then reached out to NBC6 Responds for help. After our team contacted the department, she said someone did call her to say they were looking into her case. She said her replacement funds did not appear in her account until about two weeks after the account was drained.

“I was like, I’m glad it’s there,” she said.

Tenise was relieved but said more should be done to help those who may find themselves in a similar situation.

“It’s too long,” she said. “They know it’s a crisis throughout South Florida, they need to move fast.”

If your SNAP benefits were stolen, you can submit a claim directly on the department’s website by clicking here:  https://www.myflfamilies.com/reportstolensnap#no-back

You can also report the theft by calling the EBT customer service line at 1-888-356-3281.