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$320 million stolen and replaced: Food benefits skimmed straight off EBT cards
Thieves skimmed SNAP benefits off families' cards. USDA replaced $320 million from October 2022 to December 2024. Then federal replacement stopped, and so did USDA's count.
SNAP, run by the states for USDA
- Stolen benefits USDA replaced, Oct 2022–Dec 20, 2024$320M1
- Federal replacements after Dec 20, 2024Not funded1
- Stolen Jan–Jun 2025 (Propel estimate, not USDA)$349M1
- States that moved to chip cards1 (California)1
- Counterfeit EBT terminals blocked by USDA450+1
- USDA's count of thefts since 2024████████████████
What happened
Skimmers copy the magnetic stripe on a SNAP card at the checkout and drain the account. USDA replaced $320 million in stolen benefits between October 2022 and December 20, 2024.
After that, Congress stopped funding federal replacements and USDA stopped collecting the data. A benefits-app company, Propel, estimates $349 million was stolen in the first half of 2025 alone.
Why nobody caught it
- Congress asked USDA in late 2022 to move states to chip cards through rulemaking. It hasn't. Only California has switched.
How sure are we?
Proven in court, admitted in a guilty plea, or confirmed by the agency that paid it.
The $320 million is USDA's own replacement total, which undercounts theft. The 2025 figure is a private estimate. Stealing from families is a crime, so this is hard fraud.
Sources
- Agriculture focuses on SNAP fraud, while experts worry EBT theft will go unabatedRoute Fifty · Dec 23, 2025
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