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The federal stopgap spending bill includes funding to keep reimbursing victims of EBT theft

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Congress has extended funding to reimburse stolen SNAP benefits through EBT fraud for two months.

The extension is included in the stopgap spending bill passed into law this week.

A sign behind a glass door reads "EBT welcomed here."
[Tada Images | Shutterstock]
Athens County Job and Family Services Executive Director Jean Demosky had previously said without the extension, fraud reimbursements would cease at the end of September.

That could have left low-income residents with no way of buying groceries.

WOUB previously reported Ohio has reimbursed $5.4 million of stolen EBT funds in the last six months — a dramatic increase from previous years.

Job and Family Services suggested two ways fraudsters may be stealing from EBT cards.

They may use skimmers to copy the information from the magnetic stripe on victims’ EBT cards, then use that information to drain victims’ accounts.

Or they may steal the money by intercepting the electronic signals verifying a card’s PIN.

State officials recommend EBT card holders freeze cards between uses and change PINs before new funds are loaded each month to deter fraudsters.