Hackers Gon’ Hack: Georgia SNAP Benefits Under Threat

The problem was first reported in Jan. 2023.

Georgia residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have targeted their benefits, leaving recipients with a zero balance, WSB Atlanta reported.

“Children hungry,” Branaita Jones, a SNAP recipient, told the outlet. “I want to cry so bad. It hurt my feelings so bad when they took my stamps.”

After contacting the Georgia Department of Human Services‘s (DHS), Division of Family and Children Services Jones claims she was told, “Somebody took my food stamps in New York.”

Jones is not the first to feel the brunt of the EBT scam. Georgia DHS told Channel 2 Action News, “7,040 claims for replacement benefits had been submitted since Oct. 19, 2023, and more than 5,600 had been approved, according to data through Sept. 15.”

As SNAP benefits are partially funded by the federal government, Georgia sought and received permission to replace stolen benefits. The approval was announced in Oct. 2023.

“Our team worked quickly to develop and implement a SNAP benefit replacement process to provide much-needed relief to Georgians who have been defrauded by bad actors,” said DHS Commissioner Candice Broce. “As we begin to receive and review benefit replacement requests, we will continue to educate our clients on best practices to protect their SNAP benefits, such as shielding the PIN pad, changing their PINs frequently, and checking their EBT accounts regularly.”

The scam is long-running. First reported in Jan. 2023, Georgia DHS sent out an advisory to benefactors after receiving “multiple reports of criminals using phony text messages to obtain EBT card numbers and PINs to steal Georgians’ SNAP benefits.”

Phishing scams are designed to appear as credible inquiries. Some claim there is an issue with an account or a need for identity verification to continue receiving benefits. This SNAP scheme required customers to call an 877 number.

Georgia residents can report suspected fraud through the DHS website. Victims can receive additional information about requesting replacement benefits here.