The Brief
- A Houston woman is among thousands in Texas reporting stolen SNAP benefits.
- EBT card skimming is on the rise nationwide, with over 15,000 theft reports in Texas during the first quarter of 2025.
- Lawmakers, like Rep. Al Green, are pushing legislation to restore reimbursement funding.
HOUSTON – A Houston woman is among thousands of Texans reporting stolen food benefits, as federal protection for victims of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) fraud expired late last year.
SNAP card wiped clean
“I used my Lone Star card for my SNAP benefits. I had just gotten them that night because they land on the 15th,” she said. “Well, when I left here, I went home and everything was erased from my card.”
The woman, who asked not to be identified, used around $40 from her newly loaded card at two South Houston stores before waking up the next morning to a zero balance. She said she suspects she fell victim to EBT card skimming—a crime that has escalated in Texas and nationwide.
“There’s other people they’re taking from that have kids. It’s a bigger deal than this. It’s getting worse and worse—no matter where we go, they’re still doing it,” she said.
Protections Expired
Her losses won’t be reimbursed. The federal authority to replace stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits expired on Dec. 20, 2024. Benefits stolen on or after Dec. 21 are not eligible for replacement using federal funds.…