Food Assistance (SNAP) Card Skimming Scam

Food assistance benefit cards, often loaded electronically each month, have become a target for the same card-skimming techniques long used against ordinary debit cards. Criminals install skimming devices on point-of-sale terminals or ATMs, or use small hidden cameras to capture a PIN, then clone the card's magnetic stripe to make unauthorized purchases or cash withdrawals that drain the balance before the legitimate recipient can use it.

A phishing variant of this scam involves a text or call claiming there is a problem with the recipient's benefit card and asking them to read out the card number and PIN to 'verify' the account or avoid a suspension, information that is then used to make fraudulent purchases. Because these benefits fund essential monthly food budgets for many low-income households, the loss can be severe and, depending on the jurisdiction's replacement rules, not always fully recoverable. Recipients should treat any card or PIN request received by phone or text as fraudulent and regularly check their card balance for unauthorized transactions.