MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A mother says she can’t afford to buy her daughter a prom dress after someone stole $435 in state benefits from her EBT card for a second time.
Brenda Hearn said Tuesday she discovered a zero balance on her card. The Department of Human Services told her someone in Texas had used her benefits, and she needed to file a police report.
“It happened last month, too,” said Hearn. “It took them 30 days to give that first one back. Two weeks ago, they gave me money back for the first one, and it has happened again.”
Hearn said she had planned to use her Family First cash assistance benefits to pay for her daughter Brianna’s field trip and buy her a dress and shoes for prom. Now, Brianna can’t go to prom, and she is scrambling to pay bills.
“I just moved here from California and got this place January 11, and I’m trying to catch up,” Hearn said. “My brother paid my phone bill today.”
For the past year, WREG investigators have been tracking more and more people claiming their benefits were stolen.