A hidden device attached to a checkout machine can wipe out the money a family depends on to buy food for the month. Across the US, criminals are exploiting outdated payment technology to steal government benefits loaded onto electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards. The thefts can leave SNAP recipients without money for groceries and have prompted states to accelerate the rollout of chip and contactless EBT cards.
In March, prosecutors say a twice-deported Romanian national entered a 7-Eleven in Toledo, Ohio, and secretly attached a skimming device to a payment terminal. The alleged target was not a bank account, but food assistance held on government-issued EBT cards. The case is part of a wider investigation into organised crime groups accused of stealing public benefits through card skimming, according to a 20 September investigation by The Wall Street Journal.
