WPBN: Kynnedy Moore is one of many Oklahomans dealing with the problem of stolen SNAP payments. She claimed that although she had noticed a deposit for her benefits in October, someone else had already spent roughly $600 of it.
“That whole day I had went around to multiple food pantries trying to find me and my kids food, but everyone else had already beat me because they just had the same problem earlier in the morning,” Moore stated.
Moore stated that although she has communicated with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, she has not yet received a replacement for her stolen benefits.
“It’s super hard because I am solely on my income only… I do everything for my kids,” Moore stated.
It is possible to steal SNAP benefits by phishing, cloning, and skimming. In order to safeguard their benefits, OKDHS is requesting that SNAP recipients lock their cards and change their pin. You can download the Connect EBT app as well.
“We do have the feature to lock that card and that just means that card is not able to be used,” OKDHS Deputy Director of Food and Energy, Amy Roberts stated. “So the functionality of it is locked and we recommend it’s locked everywhere. There’s an option to lock only out of state, but we recommend that someone locks that everywhere so that card can’t be used at all.”
Both in the Sooner State and nationwide, benefits theft is rampant. People from outside the state typically steal the benefits. According to Roberts, benefits that are stolen are usually returned in ten days.
“We saw an increase last year. Just a very small increase last year. What we have seen since September we have never seen before,” she stated. “This is fraud at a level that is just honestly quite overwhelming, and it was unexpected to see those kind of numbers.”
According to Roberts, the agency plans to introduce chip cards in early to mid-2025, which should reduce the likelihood of benefit theft.
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“We’re the second state to do this. California has a little bit of a head start on us,” Roberts stated. “So they will be the first ones to actually use that chip card technology, but Oklahoma is the second state in the nation to get that chip card technology in place.”
Food baskets are available for individuals in need thanks to a relationship with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, Roberts added. To begin the process of making a claim to replace your stolen SNAP benefits, give DHS a call.
