'How Did It Happen?' Oklahoma Mom Among Thousands Whose Snap Benefits Have Been Stolen

A Tulsa mom is among the growing number of people whose SNAP benefits have been stolen by hackers.

News On 6 is hearing from several people in Green Country who say their SNAP benefits have been wiped out by thieves.

States across the country, including Oklahoma, have ongoing issues with fraud relating to EBT cards.

Oklahoma Human Services said it has had to replace more than $1.4 million in stolen SNAP benefits.

Officials said there are things you can do to protect against skimming, cloning and phishing.

Blanca Garcia said she uses the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP benefits to help feed her four kids.

"I was going to buy formula for my daughter, and when I went to check out, it was declined,” said Garcia.

Garcia said after logging on to her EBT account, she saw three transactions from New York on Oct. 2 and 3, leaving her with just a penny.

"How did that happen?” asked Garcia. “Like, my card is with me. I didn't lose it."

Several moms around Green Country posted on Facebook their SNAP benefits were stolen, too.

One woman said thieves hit her account two months in a row.

"They need to get a job,” said Garcia. “It's really bad that they do that because we work hard for our family."

Oklahoma Human Services says it has had to replace more than $1.4 million in SNAP benefits for more than 2,600 Oklahoma households between July 2023 and June 2024.

In a statement, it said, “Like all states across the nation, Oklahoma is facing continued issues with all types of card fraud, including fraud relating to credit, debit and SNAP cards.

Additionally, federal laws require that SNAP cards can be used in different states, so that is unable to be blocked."

Oklahoma Human Services has these tips to keep your SNAP benefits from getting stolen:

1. Don't share your card information
2. Choose PINs that are hard to guess
3. Monitor card transactions
4. Lock your card between purchases
5. Don't respond to communications that could be from scammers
6. Check card readers before you use them

"I just really hope it doesn't happen again because it's a lot of money that they're stealing,” said Garcia. “It's not just one person. It's a lot of people.”

Those whose SNAP benefits are stolen are eligible to have them replaced twice per fiscal year, but it can take about two weeks to get a new card and money added. For more information on SNAP benefits, CLICK HERE.