Two minutes.
That’s how quickly $1,411.43 disappeared from Robert Bennett’s electronic benefits card on Monday morning. The card he depends on to feed a family of seven on Cleveland’s West Side.
But Bennett wasn’t out buying groceries. He was sitting at home, watching, as a series of transactions at unfamiliar stores drained his account balance to $10.57.
“I felt devastated,” said Bennett, a 47-year-old commercial painter. “You know, I thought about the kids. Because they were waiting for it.”
He is not alone
State and local officials have been warning food-stamp recipients about electronic benefits theft for months. In Cuyahoga County alone, EBT cardholders have filed 434 reports of suspected fraud since June of last year – totaling about $166,000.
“I got two calls about this last week, and I normally don’t get calls about this,” said Kevin Gowan, Cuyahoga County’s director of job and family services.
His department is seeing a slight increase in theft reports, with 28 so far this month.