BALTIMORE — As of October 31, Maryland families have reported losing over a million dollars in federal assistance benefits to thieves.
Reported thefts have skyrocketed since last year. In 2021, $92,000 was reported stolen to the Maryland Department of Human Services.
The United States Department of Agriculture believes these thefts are due to card skimming and phishing scams. According to an alert issued by the Maryland Department of Human Services, “thieves place a device on a retailer’s card-swiping machine to copy EBT card information. Card skimming can happen to anyone that uses a credit, debit or EBT card, including SNAP participants.”
Victims say their funds are stolen in the middle of the night, just a few minutes or hours after their monthly allotments are deposited onto their cards.
“I logged into to see how much food stamps I have left and I saw my cash benefit was withdrawn,” said Katherine Abanda-Sein, a mother of four who had $790 stolen from her.
“They took $1,300, $1,320 to be exact,” said Courtney Obee, whose benefits were withdrawn the day they were deposited at around 2 a.m. from an ATM in Miami.
“Florida? I’ve never even been to Florida personally myself, so I’m not understanding how it happened,” said Erika Johnson who lost more than $1,500 after her SNAP and Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) was fraudulently spent at a Tampa BJ’s Wholesale Club and Target.
WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii has received emails from over 100 individuals in Maryland who say their federal assistance benefits were stolen in the last few months. They report the fraud to the Maryland Department of Human Services, but the state refuses to replace their benefits.
“They’re telling us it’s federal funding, there’s nothing they can do,” said Obee.
Even so, California and D.C. are reimbursing victims with local funds. This inconsistent response and callous crime caught the attention of Maryland Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger.
“We looked into it because of you,” Congressman Ruppersberger told Sofastaii in an exclusive interview last week.
On Wednesday, Ruppersberger introduced legislation that would replace SNAP benefits stolen due to identity theft or skimming.
READ MORE: New federal legislation would replace SNAP benefits for fraud victims
“That’s wrong. That’s wrong in America. And we have an easy way to fix it without costing money and we hope this bill will pass on both sides of the aisle,” said Ruppersberger.
States are already allocated money for theft reimbursements. The bill expands the federal law to now cover this kind of theft.
“You know what they say sometimes, keep it simple, stupid? This bill is basic. It’s only trying to do one thing, it’s trying to get people money that lose money because of fraud and there should be a mechanism that does that and I believe this bill will help the people that need help,” Ruppersberger said.
RELATED: Robbed of assistance: Victims of benefit fraud desperate for help as theft soars
The bill doesn't include TCA benefits and it's not retroactive. Sofastaii asked Governor-elect Wes Moore if he'd take a different stance than the Hogan Administration regarding reimbursing fraud victims.
“Would you look to make these families whole?” Sofastaii asked Moore.
“We have to make sure we’re in partnership with our federal partners. We have to make sure that these families are not suffering and particularly suffering for things that they are not responsible for,” Moore responded.
“The current Secretary for the Department of Human Services has refused to speak with us one-on-one about this issue. Will you support a transparent government where heads of state agencies will be available to speak with the press about matters significantly impacting Marylanders?” asked Sofastaii.
“Absolutely. I plan for our administration to be the most transparent and inclusive that this state has seen,” said Moore.
Congressman Ruppersberger said he's hopeful the bill will pass before the holidays. His staff is also exploring legislation that would reimburse TCA benefits.
To follow the progress of H.R. 9319, also called the SNAP Theft Protection Act of 2022, click here.
As for the families whose benefits were stolen this year, State Senator Katie Fry Hester said she's currently drafting legislation for the 2023 session that would direct DHS to reimburse stolen benefits and establish a stronger support system for victims of fraud, as well as to increase vendor security requirements and collaboration with law enforcement.
If you’re the victim of this crime, you’re encouraged to contact your local elected officials. You can find their information by clicking here. Type in your address under the "lookup" tab and you'll have the option to email all the checked legislators.