RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s high social providers chief says the state is taking “cutting-edge” measures to crack down on theft of meals help advantages, an issue that has impacted hundreds of susceptible households throughout the commonwealth.
Over the previous a number of months, CBS 6 has been sharing the voices of these whose Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) advantages have been stolen by way of schemes just like the skimming of Digital Profit Switch (EBT) playing cards and scammers calling individuals to trick them into giving out delicate data.
Impacted Virginians ‘devastated’ by profit theft
“In my footwear, it is a devastation, and similar to anyone else that is in my place, it is a devastation,” mentioned Ricky Wall, a Hanover County resident whose $150 in month-to-month advantages have been stolen in each January and March of this yr.
A number of recipients who shared their experiences with CBS 6 reported that their advantages have been swiped on the primary of the month as a consequence of what seemed to be fraudulent out-of-state transactions.
For some, like Richmond Metropolis resident Lynette Hicks, they did not discover out till they bought to the grocery retailer.
“I used to be embarrassed. I used to be devastated, as a result of I had a cart filled with groceries and no option to pay for them,” mentioned Hicks, whose $187 in month-to-month advantages have been stolen in December of final yr.
In accordance with knowledge supplied by the Virginia Division of Social Providers (VDSS), since July 2023, greater than 20,000 recipients throughout the commonwealth reported a complete of $10 million in stolen meals stamps.
“If it continues to occur, and nothing is being accomplished to cease it, I believe issues are going to hit the fan. I believe issues are going to get uncontrolled,” mentioned Richmond mom Emily Stanley, who reported $1,400 in stolen advantages in February of this yr.
For the previous 5 months, CBS 6 has been reaching out to VDSS, the state company which oversees the administration of SNAP, to ask what was being accomplished to cease the theft.
However the company remained largely silent on our requests, with questions going both fully unanswered or unaddressed for weeks or months. However this week, Commissioner James Williams agreed to sit down down for an interview with reporter Tyler Layne.
“I simply needed to ask why the company hasn’t been significantly responsive to those inquiries till now,” Layne mentioned.
“I respect the graciousness for a first-time commissioner, new within the function clearly, and I’d simply say we have been sort of understanding our personal considering and our personal course of on responding,” mentioned Williams, who was appointed to the place by Governor Glenn Youngkin in July 2024.
Commissioner Williams ‘laser centered on prevention’
Williams mentioned profit theft elevated considerably late final yr, simply as a program that gave states authority to interchange stolen advantages utilizing federal funds was set to finish in December. That meant households who have been focused by thieves beginning January 2025 and past may now not obtain reimbursements.
“Do you are feeling like at that time, when this system ended, that the state was ready and outfitted so as to add additional assist and safety and prevention efforts for households?” Layne requested.
“Properly, it is a federal program, the Supplemental Diet Help Program, and in order that downside was solved on the federal stage, and Congress partly determined to cease this system as a result of it was being abused, and fraudsters have been profiting from it. And so, the state’s function immediately is we’re laser centered on prevention and figuring out fraudsters,” Williams mentioned.
“So, what prevention efforts beginning in January did the state have out there on the prevention aspect of this?” Layne requested.
“We had been engaged on quite a lot of prevention efforts. Within the fall, we rolled out principally an interactive voice response system for a capability to establish who’s calling in, so that folks cannot steal data as simply. In January, we rolled out a extremely vital function, which was a lock function by way of our ConnectEBT app, the place our shoppers can go, they will lock their profit card, which is admittedly vital once they’re not within the grocery retailer, as a result of that is when many of the fraud is going on, and so they can even lock out of state transactions on that app,” Williams mentioned.
“Do you are feeling like that’s sufficient?” Layne requested.
“No, that is going to take a totally concerted effort,” Williams responded.
To that finish, Governor Youngkin proposed in March a $1.5 million price range modification for safety enhancements to EBT playing cards, and it was accepted by the Basic Meeting.
Williams mentioned the cash might be used to interchange each person’s EBT card, which at present can solely be used to swipe at checkout, with a chip card that may be inserted at checkout. Chip card expertise is considered because the gold normal within the banking trade to stop fraud and has been pointed to by consultants as a high systemic answer to combatting SNAP profit theft.
The U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA), which manages SNAP on the federal stage, has inspired all states to implement chip card expertise. Beforehand, solely California and Oklahoma had begun that transition.
“Virginia could be main the nation. We’d be one of many first 5 states within the nation to be implementing this expertise, and so with that and the lock/unlock function, we actually suppose we would be sort of on the innovative,” Williams mentioned.
He mentioned as soon as the price range is in place, the state company will start buying playing cards this summer season and hopes to start out rolling them out subsequent yr.
Williams added that VDSS can be beefing up its program integrity group to sort out waste, fraud, and abuse throughout all profit applications together with SNAP. The group will work to establish uncommon transactions to help regulation enforcement investigations in monitoring down criminals.
CBS 6 reached out to each native, state, and federal company that investigates and prosecutes crimes within the Richmond metro, and none reported any recent charges or prosecutions associated to SNAP profit theft.
“Do you are feeling like these investigations are being taken very critically? A whole lot of occasions after we’re speaking to victims, they wish to see these individuals held accountable,” Layne mentioned.
“As a result of the circumstances are so advanced, and generally there are groups or organizations which might be defrauding our shoppers, it is actually troublesome for native police, generally to have the fitting forms of data in an effort to examine, after which likewise, for prosecutors,” Williams mentioned.
Williams mentioned final month, the Bedford Police Division labored with the U.S. Secret Service to arrest a Romanian citizen who was accused of putting in skimming gadgets at Walmart tales all throughout the Mid-Atlantic area. EBT card customers have been believed to have been focused.
In accordance with the Lynchburg Police Division, the suspect, Florin Doroiman, was arrested in Richmond.
Williams mentioned he desires his program integrity group to have the ability to present higher proof to regulation enforcement companies and builder stronger circumstances that he hopes will “translate into extra prosecutions after which hopefully fewer fraudsters on the road.”
“We’re going to proceed to work towards these fraudsters in order that they find yourself behind bars, and we will defend Virginia’s households as a lot as we are able to,” Williams mentioned.
As he mentioned prevention is Virginia’s high precedence, there are not any plans to implement a profit alternative program on the state stage.
CBS 6 is dedicated to sharing neighborhood voices on this vital matter. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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