The skyrocketing cost of groceries in Ohio has taken a terrible turn as thieves target the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and steal millions from people who depend on it to feed their families.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) told ABC6 On Your Side Problem Solvers that since October 2022, nearly $7 million has been stolen from the accounts of SNAP recipients. This shows that the state’s benefits system is very weak.
Another victim is mother from Columbus, Erica McAllister. In September, thieves took $1,500 from her benefits, which was a very sad event for her. “At one point, I was giving plasma, and that money was just used for food,” McAllister remembered.
“This is something we need every month for a reason.” To feed us. It has to be done. I would not be able to live without it. They would take my kids.
SNAP benefits are not a luxury for Mc Allister or many other people in Ohio; they are a lifeline. Because there are more and more fraudulent transactions, many cardholders are losing all of their money when they try to use their cards.
ODJFS says that fraud is especially common with SNAP cards because their security is so old. California and Oklahoma are planning to use chip-enabled cards, but Ohio has decided not to.
They say it will cost $15 million to upgrade the system, which they do not want to spend. Because of this decision, people who have SNAP cards can now have them stolen because they only have a magnetic strip on them, which is easier to hack than a chip system.
Deborah Kaun, who lives in Ohio and was also affected by the fraud, talked about how the theft made her feel. “I broke down in tears when I realized my food was gone.”
“It felt like it was taken right out of my mouth,” she said about how her $200 in help was taken.
Kaun, who has a fixed income, had to make the tough choice not to pay her water bill so she could still buy food for her family. “I never thought it would happen to me,” she said, shaking her head.
Since the summer, a lot of people in Ohio have called the Problem Solving team to report similar fraud cases. Fraud has affected almost 12,000 SNAP cardholders, putting many families in a tough spot and making them wonder how they will meet their basic needs.
Ohio officials have told people who get SNAP to be careful by doing things like changing their PINs after every transaction.
But for many people, these steps have not been enough. In the case of Mc Allister, she has been changing her PIN every month, but she still lost her benefits.
The state has to make a tough choice about how to protect the SNAP program, but it is clear that not doing anything will hurt people.
Many people who get benefits, like Mc Allister and Kaun, feel helpless as they try to make ends meet while food prices are going up and their benefits are being taken away.
The ongoing crisis has made people more aware of the need to protect Ohio’s weakest residents better, but the state is still split on how to balance making security better with paying for it.
The need to act grows as the debate goes on. It could not be more important for many Ohioans.
