SANFORD, Fla. — The Sanford Police Department is investigating a surge in cases of stolen EBT funds, leaving families without money for food and other essentials.
Victims told Channel 9 they’ve lost thousands of dollars, with little chance of getting the money back. “I looked on my Propel account, it said balance zero,” one Sanford resident told Channel 9. That’s when she learned she had lost more than $1,000 in food stamp benefits.
The resident said her benefits were spent nearly two hours away in Brandon, Florida.
“It happened down by Tampa in Brandon, Florida, at a Sam’s Club,” she said. “I actually called the Sam’s Club and spoke to a manager. He told me that they do it by shopping online. And then they come in and pick up the groceries. And then, they go and scan their barcode with the person at the door and walk on out.”
She’s far from being the only target, however. “I noticed it was only a couple of dollars that was missing off of there but then I got a phone call from my son like two Mondays ago saying his whole amount had been wiped out,” said Joy Turner, another Sanford resident.
The EBT funds come from Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) and are intended to help people cover basic needs. Turner said losing that money creates impossible choices. “It’s either pay rent, pay lights, eat, medicine. It’s an up and down thing right now. And something needs to happen,” she said.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture, nearly 3 million people across the state receive SNAP benefits. Since December 2023, however, DCF has no longer reimbursed stolen funds. Instead, they only issue replacement EBT cards.
That means, as Turner said, “When are you going to do something about it? Because this is like a continuous thing. Like it’s just steady wiping out people’s cards.”
She said she’s heard of cases stretching across the country. “I know other people that, their card, they pull up the transactions and it’s been used in Boise, Idaho, New Jersey, Tampa, St. Petersburg,” Turner added.
The Sanford Police Department is urging anyone who has fallen victim to report the theft immediately.
In a statement to Channel 9, DCF said:
“If an individual’s United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been stolen, they should immediately file a police report with their local law enforcement agency and request a replacement Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. For further assistance, individuals can contact EBT Customer Service at 1-888-356-3281, or by logging in to their MyACCESS account at MyACCESS.MyFLFamilies.com.”
Ensure your money is safe
- Change Your PIN Regularly: One of the easiest ways to protect your EBT account is by changing your Personal Identification Number (PIN) often. Avoid using common PINs such as 1111 or 1234.
- Monitor Your Purchases and Balance: Review your purchases and account balance frequently to detect any suspicious activity.
- Inspect card readers: check for signs of tampering or skimming devices.
- Use the same retailer/retailers as often as possible.
- Visit ebtEDGE platform for added lawyers of protection
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