SALT LAKE CITY — As instances of food stamp fraud grow nationwide, more Utahns are left unable to afford groceries with no clear solution in sight.
Riverton resident Lee St. Onge, like many others, feels the pain of high prices.
I don’t have enough money to buy food because rent has gone up so much so I went to use my food card my EBT Snap card on Friday and got all my groceries in back in the basket and my card said zero balance it would not work,” said St. Onge. “I wish the world was just a kinder place and that this want happening to people in need.”
She felt distressed at checkout with no funds, a feeling she never imagined she’d have to experience.
“Petrified because I got all of these groceries, I was embarrassed, and I had to I ended up leaving after being a little upset. I went out to my car, so I’m making phone calls only to find out after quite a long time waiting that there was a zero balance on my card because I have been frauded,” said St. Onge.
Department of Workforce Services in Utah Public Information Officer Becky Wickstrom urges customers to stay vigilant as these scams continue to affect people across the country.
“We are seeing EBT thefts happening kind of across the country not just in Utah. It’s happening in a lot of ways because those scams are getting more and more sophisticated,” said Wickstrom.
EBT recipient Barton Gonzales, whom we had spoken to previously when he was defrauded, has been advocating for security enhancements for some time now.
“I didn’t sleep last night for example because I was worried that when I got up this morning, my food stamps would be gone. They won’t let me put a stronger password so I’m just as vulnerable as I was before when they were stolen,” said Gonzales.
Victims of these ongoing scams explained they hope for change soon before this happens to other food-insecure people.
“I am so frustrated. I can’t stand it because every time I call workforce services they downplay it and they’ve actually flat out lies saying that it’s not happening all over,” said Gonzales.
The Department of Workforce Services in Utah told Fox 13 they’re working toward a solution. “Are working with the federal government and our card bender just to make changes so that we can add security measures,” said Wickstrom.
A list of resources and fraud prevention tips can be found here: SNAP fraud prevention, Fraud Workforce Services, Disability Law Center Utah, Utahns Against Hunger, and Utah Food Bank.
