Take Action: Protect Victims of SNAP Theft!
Call your Senators & Representatives!
Send a Letter!
Call Script:
“My name is ___________
I live at ______________
I am calling to ask that the legislature take action to help stop theft of SNAP benefits.
SNAP benefits are issued on EBT cards that have never been updated and are vulnerable to theft from skimming machines and phishing scams – they rely only EBT cards function with a magnetic stripe, rather than the more secure chip/tap technology – making these cards an easier target for theft.
More than $9 million in benefits have been stolen from financially struggling families since 2022.
When benefits are stolen, families cannot be reimbursed for the benefits and are left without recourse.
PA must take action to start the process of rolling out more secure EBT cards.
I am asking for you to invest $7 million in the state budget this year to provide funding for shipped EBT cards and equipment.”
Get Vocal on Socials!
SNAP Skimming Social Media Toolkit
Fill out the form if you want to share your experience with benefit theft, or why SNAP matters to you:
What You Should Know:
The State budget is due at the end of the month, so your voice is needed now! Legislators have introduced and voted on bills that would inform or mandate a switch to EBT cards with secure chip technology, but they need to hear from you why they must act and prioritize this now.
On December 20, 2024, Congress failed to extend a critical provision that thus ended federal authority to replace stolen SNAP benefits. Between October 2022 and 2024, there were nearly $9 million in nutrition benefits stolen from low-income households. SNAP Skimming has continued to escalate, with the number of thefts increasing dramatically. Over 75% of the total confirmed skimming cases have occurred within the last six months of 2024 alone.
Pennsylvania needs to act to make EBT transactions more secure. A total investment of $14 M is needed to begin the process of transitioning to chip/tap cards, of which the state would need to pay half. As Congress considers increasing the share of the cost burden of administering SNAP to states, now is the time to act.
Thank you for your support to Just Harvest’s mission to address the root causes of hunger.
