Albany County residents are being warned about a rise in thefts targeting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The Albany County Department of Social Services reports that thieves use skimming devices installed in card readers to capture card data and PIN numbers, which leads to unauthorized access to benefits. Skimming can also occur through fraudulent Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card point-of-sale machines. Unfortunately, stolen SNAP benefits cannot be replaced under current New York State rules.
To help combat this issue, the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance has introduced the ebtEDGE app. This app allows users to freeze and…..