Butler retiree Rick Berry, 63, was trying to buy groceries earlier this month on the day his $287 in monthly SNAP food assistance benefits should have been available.
But to his dismay, Berry’s card had a balance of zero.
“ I called back about five times and it still says 0, 0, 0,” he said in an interview earlier this week.
Berry, who lives alone with his cat, gets by on income from Social Security. He depends on the monthly funds from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called SNAP, for food.
He soon realized he was the victim of an ongoing problem for many people in the SNAP program — electronic theft of their benefits.
Berry later discovered many of his neighbors at his Butler apartment building had also had their benefits stolen; they believe the funds were taken via a skimming device at a nearby local dollar store where they all shop.
“ There’s going to be people that are definitely going hungry in this building here in the next few days,” Berry said.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that in a period of just over two years — from 2022 to 2024 — at least $320 million in food assistance was electronically stolen from SNAP recipients. (The report acknowledges that this is likely an under-estimate because some people did not know they could file a claim.)
The problem isn’t new, but it is persistent, advocates say. The electronic cards used by SNAP recipients lack the chip that most credit and debit cards have, making them uniquely vulnerable to being hacked by so-called “skimming” devices.
And until Congress acts to reimburse victims of such thefts, or until the state upgrades its card technology, the thefts will continue, advocates say.
“We hear from families regularly that their SNAP benefits are stolen, and it is truly gut-wrenching as there is no recourse for these victims in Pennsylvania,” said Ann Sanders, an advocate with Pittsburgh-based anti-hunger group Just Harvest. “Congress stopped reimbursements for any theft after December of 2024, but thefts have not stopped and families now go hungry when they become victims.”
Kate Giammarise / 90.5 WESA
Rick Berry stands outside his apartment in Butler. He and many of his neighbors were victims of electronic SNAP theft.
Congress is considering an updated Farm Bill, Sanders said, which covers the SNAP program, but as of now it contains nothing for reimbursements or improving card security to make benefits harder to steal.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has introduced the Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act that would move to more secure chipped cards. In April of last year, he introduced the Fairness for Victims of SNAP Skimming Act so that if benefits are stolen, recipients are reimbursed, but as of now neither of these pieces of legislation are part of the Farm Bill.
It’s unclear exactly how much is being stolen, Pennsylvania officials have said, as they no longer track the thefts, but during the time period stolen benefits were able to be reimbursed — October 2022 to the end of December, 2024 — the state Department of Human Services approved the replacement of more than $8.8 million of stolen funds following review, according to the department.
During a state Senate budget hearing last month, Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh acknowledged that such thefts have been frustrating.
“We have had significant issues over the years with theft of those benefits,” she said, in response to an inquiry from Allegheny County Republican state Sen. Devlin Robinson.
She said the department asks food retailers to check their point-of-sale machines daily to guard against skimming devices. The department also recommends SNAP recipients use an app that allows them to lock their card when it is not in use, as well as to change their PIN number frequently to guard against thieves collecting card information and then waiting to strike until after regular benefits are paid at the beginning of the month.
Victims should still report the theft to local law enforcement, the department said, and to the Office of State Inspector General by calling 1-800-932-0582. They should also ask the department for a replacement card. More information about what to do if you’re a victim of SNAP theft is available here.
Berry has been calling his elected officials, and said he’s been frustrated by a lack of assistance, or being told to use a food pantry.
“ There are emergency funds for other disasters. Why can’t there be emergency funds for a disaster like this?”
WESA reporter Tom Riese contributed.