Stamped Out

Stamping out fraud:

Along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and local law enforcement, the USDA said on May 2 that it recently “surveilled over 100 locations in southern California, including multiple SNAP retailers,” which resulted in “numerous arrests and the collection of high-value evidence.” The agency did not say how many were arrested or provide other details. The operations targeted individuals who are defrauding the Supplemental Food Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, and its EBT card system. “In such cases, criminals steal funds loaded onto EBT cards that SNAP recipients rely on to buy food by surreptitiously installing card skimmers, and cloning point of sale terminals enabling them to steal publicly funded benefits,” a USDA news release said. “Recent investigations show that international criminal organizations are heavily involved and benefiting from SNAP fraud,” the USDA said.

It was an easy SNAP decision...