The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it has disabled or blocked over 2,000 illegal point-of-sale devices from the food stamp system. The figure is a national count that USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration published on September 18, 2026, in release USDA 0120.26, “USDA’s Operation SNAP Back Hits the Five Boroughs.”
The release announces a crackdown in New York City, but the 2,000 devices are not a New York number. They sit in a paragraph of national totals that also covers retailers and dollars.
What did USDA announce?
Operation SNAP Back covered New York’s five boroughs and involved hundreds of undercover investigations. USDA took action against 170 retailers, including bodegas, convenience stores and grocery stores, and referred several cases to the USDA Office of Inspector General for criminal investigation and prosecution…