Danisha Henderson misplaced $770 in SNAP advantages inside minutes. Her story highlights rising scams as Georgia rolls out the ConnectEBT safety device.
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Georgia is rolling out a brand new security function to guard the hundreds of households who rely upon Supplemental Diet Help Program (SNAP) advantages from falling sufferer to scams.
The brand new device, known as ConnectEBT, comes as stories of stolen advantages proceed to rise, leaving many struggling to make ends meet.
One such sufferer is Danisha Henderson, a faculty instructor and single mom of three from metro Atlanta, who had her SNAP account drained of $770 in lower than 5 minutes.
“I used to be actually standing there in tears,” Henderson stated. “My household counts on that. We’ve got no groceries proper now as a result of we stay up for that each month.”
Henderson’s expertise is much from distinctive. She stated she encountered over a dozen different victims submitting related claims at a Henry County Division of Human Companies (DHS) workplace.
Since October 2022, DHS has authorized 14,061 claims for stolen advantages, amounting to roughly $7.5 million in losses statewide, based on a spokeswoman for DHS.
In an announcement,t the company confirmed, “Since final fall, DHS has issued greater than $7.5 million in SNAP substitute advantages. There have been 25,284 claims submitted since October 2023, and of these, SNAP substitute advantages have been authorized for 14,601 claims. (information present as of 12/5/24)”
The thefts are sometimes linked to phishing schemes, card skimming, and cloning. Henderson suspects her card particulars had been compromised throughout retail purchases made by third-party platforms like Instacart.
“She (the DHS worker) requested if I store at retail shops, and I stated sure,” Henderson stated. “She stated, ‘That’s in all probability how you bought, received.'”
To fight these scams, Georgia is now one in all 14 states providing ConnectEBT, a cell app and web site that lets SNAP customers lock their playing cards between transactions, rapidly change their PINs and monitor transactions in real-time. The app additionally offers alerts for suspicious exercise, serving to customers safeguard their advantages.
For Henderson and others like her, the launch of ConnectEBT affords a glimmer of hope in defending their advantages. “Folks exterior the state are taking our advantages, and no one’s doing something about it,” Henderson stated.
State officers encourage SNAP beneficiaries to make use of ConnectEBT as a safety measure in opposition to fraud.
For extra data, go to the Georgia Division of Human Companies web site or obtain the ConnectEBT app out of your smartphone’s app retailer.
