ATLANTA — Thieves are targeting people who rely on food stamps, and the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) is warning clients to lock their SNAP benefit cards.
Alice Brown cares for her two young grandsons in Southwest Atlanta.
She saved since June to get them a PlayStation.
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Then, she woke up Wednesday and realized thieves had wiped their food stamp card clean, stealing more than $700.
“I took their Christmas money that I had to get their Christmas stuff, to buy food,” Brown told Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco. “I couldn’t leave them in the house with no food.”
Carmen Gayle said DHS loaded her card with more than $400 Friday.
Minutes later, she was at the grocery store ready to pay for groceries when her card declined.
“I went straight into fix-it mode,” said Gayle.
She moved the groceries aside and called customer service.
The operator said the balance was only 23 cents.
She and her teenage daughter left with no food.
“We don’t have nothing to eat and it was just embarrassing,” said the daughter.
Sunday was Gayle’s son’s birthday.
“I couldn’t do nothing,” said Gayle. “No birthday for my son. No Christmas.”
Plus, she does not have a car to drive to a food pantry.
DHS did not specify how long it will take to reimburse stolen funds.
“They said 30 to 60 days, and no telling if you are going to get them back or not,” said Brown.
DHS did point out a new security feature in place this month.
Clients can now go online or on their smart phone app and lock and unlock their cards until they are ready to purchase something.
“Please lock your card,” warned Brown.
She did have something to say to the thieves preying on families already struggling enough.
“I hope they get caught. They need to. It’s not fair. It’s not fair to these kids around here that need to have Christmas for the holidays,” said Brown.
DHS said clients have 30 days to report fraud.
Georgians who think they’ve been the victim of a scam or fraud involving their public benefits should contact the DHS Office of Inspector General at inspectorgeneralhotline@dhs.ga.gov or 877-423-4746, option 4.
SNAP recipients who have been the victim of fraud can submit a request for replacement benefits and learn more on this webpage. No police report is required.
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