The theft of tens of thousands of dollars in food assistance from hundreds of families in Maine is still being investigated, state officials said Friday.
There have been no recent reports of fraud involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services on Friday afternoon. At least $76,000 worth of SNAP payments from about 300 homes in Maine have reportedly been taken thus far by criminals working in other states. SNAP thefts in what seems to be a massive scheme are also being reported by officials in other states.
Federal authority was granted to DHHS on Friday to ban the majority of out-of-state transactions made with the EBT cards used by SNAP beneficiaries to purchase food. However, SNAP participants will still be able to purchase groceries from online stores and use their EBT cards within Maine, as well as in New Hampshire and Vermont.
According to Ian Yaffe, head of DHHS’s Office for Family Independence, “since that action was taken, we have received no new reports of thefts this morning or this afternoon,” at the interview. “So we are still holding at approximately 300 households impacted.”
People who need to use their EBT cards outside of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont can phone 1-855-797-4357, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., to request that DHHS activate their cards. However, according to the agency, the activation process may take up to 48 hours.
SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides benefits to over 170,000 people in Maine.
According to Yaffe, the state’s EBT card provider and law enforcement are currently looking into how the PINs and card data were obtained. However, he noted that it doesn’t seem to be a case of “skimming,” which is the practice of thieves using a covert electronic device to obtain that data while victims swipe their cards.
“The more recent incidents that we’ve seen are generally a couple of households impacted at a time,” Yaffe stated. “And typically, those can be linked to specific skimming equipment at a store. In addition, there aren’t many of them in Maine. However, in the program’s existence, this is by far the biggest instance of electronic theft that we have witnessed.
The amount of SNAP fraud has increased recently. However, Congress has also taken away states’ ability to replace benefits that have been stolen. Between the final quarter of fiscal year 2024 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, fraudulent SNAP purchases rose by 55%, or about 250,000 transactions, according to a June Newsweek story.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture permitted states to reinstate SNAP payments for individuals who had been the victims of fraud or theft until late last year. However, Congress let that power run out in December. Consequently, the approximately 300 households in Maine that had their SNAP accounts closed this month will not be able to receive additional benefits until September. In order to link those homes with food banks or other community organizations, DHHS is working.
“We did reach out to USDA proactively, given the scale of this incident and the fact that it is involving many other states, to see if there was any flexibility here,” Yaffe stated. “And unfortunately we were not able to get any flexibility to replace those benefits.”
Affected SNAP recipients are being contacted by DHHS personnel, who emphasized that the agency never requests an individual’s PIN or EBT card number. They added that if someone requests that information, it’s probably just another hoax.
All SNAP beneficiaries are being urged by DHHS officials to take independent action to improve account protections. These actions consist of:
- Immediately changing the PIN on their EBT card and avoiding easy-to-guess numbers, such as 1234 or birthdays.
- Activating the lock/unlock feature to temporarily block access to benefits when not in use.
- Blocking out-of-state or online transactions.
- Regularly reviewing activity on their accounts.
These modifications can be performed using the ebtEDGE mobile app or online at the Pinetree Card website. Those who require help with the app or website should contact Fidelity Information Services at 1-800-477-7428.
