PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — A Pueblo woman discovered that her nearly $900 in SNAP benefits fraudulently spent across multiple Colorado stores at the beginning of January. These unauthorized transactions left her household of six struggling to afford groceries for the month.
Natalie Garcia contacted News5 after realizing her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were stolen earlier this year.
The theft occurred despite Garcia being the only person who uses her EBT card and never shopping online.
"I was like kind of sad. Like, gee, I wonder why this happened to us," Garcia said.
Among other items, Garcia was counting on the money to buy her daughter a birthday cake and a special dinner. It's a family tradition that didn't happen this year due to the theft.
"She was heartbroken at first. Me and her were both crying last week about my food stamps being stolen on her birthday," she said.
A review of Garcia's account showed the fraudulent transactions occurred at Walmart and King Soopers in multiple locations across Colorado.
"I don't travel that far, so it couldn't be me," Garcia said.
After filing a police report and contacting the Pueblo County Department of Human Services, Garcia learned the stolen benefits would not be replaced. She was left with $26 in her account, acknowledging that it would be challenging to purchase groceries with that amount this month.
"We're trying to make ends meet over here, so I don't know. We'll figure something out," she said.
Federal funding for reimbursements ended
Federal funding to reimburse stolen SNAP benefits is no longer available, John Rosa, communications manager for the Colorado Department of Human Services Office of Economic Security, explained in a statement to News5.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed by President Biden on December 29, 2022, initially allowed states to use federal funds to reimburse certain SNAP benefits stolen through electronic benefit theft, such as card skimming and cloning. However, congressional action discontinued SNAP reimbursement provisions in a December 2024 funding bill.
"Because of this, the federal funds needed to reimburse victims of SNAP fraud no longer exist," Rosa said. "Additionally, Colorado tax dollars are not used to support SNAP, including to reimburse Coloradans who are victims of SNAP fraud."
Fraud prevention measures
The Colorado Department of Human Services says it's working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to prevent fraudulent transactions.
"In collaboration with them, we are blocking EBT transactions in out-of-state areas with high levels of fraudulent activity," Rosa said.
He says CDHS has been blocking out-of-state transactions in areas of high fraudulent activity for many years.
However, it's unclear why these thefts are continuing to occur.
"Since we lost the ability to replace SNAP benefits via federal funding, we do not have a mechanism in place to track stolen benefit data," the statement says.
The most common way benefits are being stolen is via card skimming and cloning, the statement says.
Protection and resources available
- Cardholders can protect their benefits by freezing their EBT cards when not in use through the MyCoBenefits mobile app, ebtEDGE mobile app, or Cardholder Portal.
- Cardholders can also set up transaction restrictions to block online and out-of-state transactions.
- CDHS strongly recommends changing PINs once a month before benefits post.
Several resources are available for Colorado families who have lost benefits:
- The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), implemented through the Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver
- Colorado WIC, which provides free healthy food for qualifying families
- Hunger Free Colorado's Food Resource Hotline at 855-855-4626
- Colorado 211 resources, accessible by dialing 2-1-1 or 866-760-6489
Garcia said she didn't know about the preventative steps until after her benefits were stolen. She wanted to speak out so that other people could avoid the same experience.
"I just hope someone can stop it right away before it happens to [someone else.] Just get it out to whoever has food stamps to make sure everybody locks their cards. I never had a problem until now, so I'm going to start locking my card," Garcia said.
Colorado SNAP recipients planning to use their EBT card while traveling out of state should call 1-800-536-5298.
This article was written by KOAA News5 Consumer Reporter Kierra Sam. Have a story? Send an email to Kierra.sam@koaa.com
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