A Connecticut mother who lost a month of food benefits to an EBT scam is getting help from two local business owners after stolen SNAP benefits left dozens of Bridgeport residents with zero balances.
News 12 reported that Johnny Vazzano, of The Original Vazzy’s, and Chip Rubenstein, of Chip’s Auto Sales, replaced one month of benefits for an affected local mother.
The two business owners said they were moved by a separate News 12 report about families in Bridgeport whose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits had been stolen. They are now encouraging other small businesses to “adopt” families who lose food money to EBT theft.
The loss is not abstract for families who depend on SNAP benefits to buy groceries. When an EBT card is drained, the cardholder may still have the plastic card in hand, but the money for the month can already be gone.
More Than 40 Bridgeport Residents Had Benefits Stolen
A separate News 12 report said more than 40 Bridgeport residents had their entire monthly SNAP benefits stolen, leaving many with zero balances on their EBT cards.
Lawmakers, including state Sen. Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, pushed for stronger security technology after the thefts. News 12 reported that officials pointed to skimming and phishing methods used to steal card information and drain benefits.
Vazzano and Rubenstein did not solve the larger fraud problem, but they closed the immediate gap for one mother. Their message to other businesses was simple: one local business may be able to help one family get through the month.
Stolen SNAP Benefits Are Harder To Replace Now
SNAP benefits are loaded onto Electronic Benefit Transfer cards that work much like debit cards at participating grocery stores and retailers. The Government Accountability Office says thieves steal benefits through methods including card skimming, card cloning, phishing, bot attacks, and stolen retailer numbers.
That means a victim may not notice anything until checking the balance or trying to buy food. The money can disappear through copied card data or stolen account information without the physical card ever leaving the person’s wallet.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says congressional authority to replace stolen SNAP benefits with federal funds expired on Dec. 20, 2024. Connecticut DSS now tells cardholders that if their benefits are stolen, the state cannot replace them.
Connecticut Tells Cardholders To Lock Their Cards
Connecticut DSS says EBT cardholders can use MyDSS to lock and unlock their cards and block or unblock out-of-state transactions. A locked card stops all charges, including online transactions, while the out-of-state block stops charges from stores or ATMs outside Connecticut.
DSS also tells cardholders to avoid simple PINs, keep card numbers and PINs private, cover the keypad when entering a PIN, watch for phishing messages, change PINs often, and check EBT accounts regularly for unauthorized charges.
The agency says DSS and EBT customer service will never call or text to ask for a PIN or card number. Anyone who sees unauthorized charges should change the PIN immediately, report the activity, and request a replacement card through EBT customer service if the card or account may be compromised.