Several Danville, Virginia, residents say their SNAP benefits were stolen overnight, leaving families without grocery money just hours after their monthly benefits landed on their EBT cards.
The affected residents told WSLS 10 that their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards were emptied shortly after the deposits arrived.
Transaction records reviewed by the station showed purchases in places including Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and New Jersey, even though the affected families were in Danville.
Danville resident Briana Williams said the stolen benefits were one of her family’s only sources of food assistance. She told WSLS the theft left parents and grandparents worrying about how they would feed children for the rest of the month.
Families Found Their Grocery Money Gone
The benefits were taken shortly after monthly allotments were deposited, which meant some households had little or nothing left almost immediately.
Williams told WSLS that families lost the comfort of knowing they could buy dinner, breakfast, and basic food after benefits arrived.
The out-of-state transactions point to the kind of EBT theft that can happen when card information is skimmed, cloned, phished, or otherwise used without the recipient’s knowledge.
Replacement Options Are Limited After Federal Coverage Expired
WSLS reported that affected households have limited ways to recover the stolen money. Virginia does not currently have a state-funded program to reimburse SNAP recipients whose benefits are stolen electronically.
The federal replacement program also no longer covers new thefts. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says congressional authority to replace SNAP benefits stolen through card skimming, cloning, and similar fraud expired on December 20, 2024.
That means households whose benefits are stolen now may have to wait until their next monthly SNAP allotment unless they can find help from local food pantries, meal programs, relatives, or other emergency resources.
Danville Officials Told Residents to Report Theft Quickly
The Danville Department of Social Services urged anyone who believes their SNAP benefits were stolen to contact the local social services department immediately and request a replacement EBT card.
The department also encouraged recipients to use the Lock/Unlock feature available through their EBT account.
The Virginia Department of Social Services says the official ConnectEBT app and online portal allow recipients to lock and unlock their EBT cards. When a card is locked, purchases are blocked, but deposits, credits, and refunds can still go through.
VDSS says ConnectEBT is the only approved app for Virginia SNAP EBT benefits. The agency advises recipients to unlock the card when they are ready to shop, then lock it again after checkout.
Anyone who notices activity they do not recognize should change their PIN right away and call Virginia EBT Customer Service at 866-281-2448.
Holiday Weekend Food Help Was Hard to Find
WSLS reported that emergency food help was difficult to find during the Independence Day holiday weekend, with several organizations closed or unavailable.
Listed resources for Danville residents included House of Hope, God’s Storehouse, the Salvation Army of Danville, Virginia 211, and the Danville Department of Social Services.
Virginia 211 can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 or by searching for food, housing, utility, and emergency assistance through its online directory.