Second-Wave Of EBT/SNAP Skimming Hits The Frum Community in NYC 🚨

Brooklyn, NY – Fraudsters are scamming millions of dollars worth of food stamps, according to local NYC officials.

This is the second-wave of food stamps skimming to hit the frum community in NYC, with dozens of reports this week in multiple Brooklyn Jewish neighborhoods.

The skimming fraud happens silently and often without any knowledge on the victims’ part. The Scammers simply add an Electronic Benefit Transfer cards to card readers, and when a card is swiped by a hapless victim, the number is stolen, allowing them to drain their accounts.

According to NYC’s Department of Social Services, over 61,000 New Yorkers have submitted a claim of EBT fraud. The Agency recovered a total of $19 million in stolen funds.

According to the FBI, it is estimated that skimming costs financial institutions and consumers more than $1 billion each year.

Bills that would require the state to upgrade the EBT cards to use contactless payment technology, to lock EBT accounts when fraud is reported and harsher penalties to those that are caught placing (and picking up) the card skimmers have been passed recently in the NYS legislature.

Victims should call their local SNAP office immediately to report their cards as stolen and to receive new cards. To get reimbursed for stolen EBT funds, residents must file claims online with the Department of Social Services.

For those with EBT, the NY HRA has an app to track your balance and easily track your spending to spot a scam when it may happen. The App can be downloaded here.

*****

The Frum managers of Kosher grocery stores and supermarkets in Brooklyn have started this week to check daily their card readers/terminals to make sure no skimmers are being placed.

Notice: The fraudsters in the latest incidents by kosher supermarkets are believed to be white and Hispanic males, outsiders not part of the community. If readers notice any suspicious activity from a customer, near the registers payment terminal, store management should immediately be notified so they can check their surveillance cameras.

Important to point out—this is a city-wide problem, happening in hundreds of stores and bodegas across NYC.