What to do if your SNAP benefits get stolen in New Jersey

Update: As of Dec. 20, 2024, New Jersey is no longer accepting requests for reimbursements for stolen SNAP benefits. Read this guide to learn how to avoid having your SNAP benefits stolen.

From October 2022 through February 2024, Essex County residents filed 1,569 stolen benefit claims – the highest number of claims in any county in the state.

But more recent data suggests SNAP scams and benefit theft are picking up pace. In just six months, from January to June 2024, Essex County residents filed 2,582 stolen benefit claims, according to Anibal Ramos, Essex County Department of Citizen Services Director.

SNAP scams and benefit theft can happen to anyone, but it’s not always easy to find out what to do if it happens to you.

The Jersey Bee produced this guide to navigating SNAP scams and benefit theft so residents could identify what it looks like, what to do if you think your benefits were stolen, and resources to help you find information quicker when you need it.

How are SNAP benefits stolen?

There are several ways that SNAP benefits can be stolen, according to the New Jersey Department of Human Services:

• Skimming is when someone attaches an illegal device to a digital payment system to steal card information or a PIN number. It can happen anywhere you use your EBT card, like delis, grocery stores, or supermarkets.
• Scamming is when someone persuades another person to disclose EBT card or personal information, often via phone calls or text messages.
• Cloning is when someone copies stolen card information to a new card.

Meghan Gosselink, Director of Resource Access at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, said the most common method she and her team see is people receiving scam text messages or phone calls offering help with their application for a fee.

“No one should ever be charged,” said Gosselink, adding that it is against the law to charge anyone to complete a federal assistance application. “Scammers are trying to charge them money and then, of course, not help them with an application.”

How do I avoid having my SNAP benefits stolen?

Skimming

SNAP scams and benefit theft can happen to anyone, especially anyone swiping their EBT card at a POS system that may have a ‘skimming’ device attached to it.

“That’s a real terrible problem that happens across the country, and it’s still happening… people are thinking they’re going to buy food, and there’s no money on the card,” said Gosselink.

Scamming

Gosselink said that older adults are disproportionately targeted when it comes to fraudulent calls and text scams. She explained that this created confusion and mistrust between SNAP navigators and the communities they serve.

“Our services are free,” she said, “but they think we’re scamming them because they got the scamming phone call or text or heard about somebody else that did.”

Cloning

Cloning occurs when someone copies stolen card information to a new card.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. said in a statement that SNAP clients can protect themselves from having their benefits stolen by:

• Monitoring the balance on their cards frequently.
• Frequently changing their PIN and making the new PIN significantly different than the original one.
• Not sharing their PIN with anyone else.
• Not telling a store clerk or check out person their PIN.

How do I report stolen SNAP benefits and request replacement?

If you think your benefits were stolen or you may be a victim of a scam, the New Jersey Department of Human Services recommends you complete and submit a Request for Replacement Form within 30 days of discovering your benefits were stolen. 

The form is currently available in English and Spanish.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and the General Assistance (GA) are eligible for reimbursement, but clients can only have their stolen benefits replaced twice. Other food assistance programs, like P-EBT and Summer EBT benefits, are not eligible for replacement or reimbursement.

There are several ways you can complete the NJ SNAP stolen benefits replacement form.

By email

You can complete the request for replacement PDF form and email it to DFD.Firm@dhs.nj.gov.

By mail

Essex County residents can print completed forms and mail them to:

Essex County Department of Citizen Services
Division of Family Assistance and Benefits
ATTN: Investigation
320 University Avenue – 2nd Floor
Newark, NJ 07102

New Jersey residents in other counties can find out where to mail their completed form by contacting their county social service department.

In-person drop-off and assistance

Essex County residents can drop off their completed form to the Essex County Department of Citizen Services Division of Family Assistance and Benefits at 320 University Avenue, 2nd Floor, Newark, NJ 07102. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last appointment at 3 p.m.

New Jersey residents in other counties can find out where to drop off their completed form by contacting their county social service department.

By phone

Essex County residents can call the Essex County Social Service Agency at 973-395-8000 and let the operator know you need assistance submitting the request for replacement of electronically stolen benefits form. 

There may be long wait times to speak to someone if you call the Essex County Social Service Agency or you may hear an automated message to submit your inquiry via the county’s WeCare Customer Service Portal. The Jersey Bee called the county agency office several times and couldn’t reach a live agent. (We recommend you allocate at least 30-45 minutes if you call for support.)

New Jersey residents in other counties can find contact information for their county’s social service agency online. 

Get help submitting a form

Essex County residents can contact Community FoodBank of New Jersey, YMCA of Montclair, and Meadowlands Area YMCA to talk to SNAP navigators who can help you complete your request for replacement form, navigate and apply for federal assistance benefits, or find food aid.

New Jersey residents in other counties can find their local SNAP navigator on the New Jersey Department of Human Services website.

Essex County residents can also submit a request for service form at any time via the county’s WeCare Customer Service Portal. You’ll need to create an account, which asks for your email, date of birth, and social security number.

What happens after I submit my SNAP replacement request?

Once the county social service agency determines your eligibility, stolen benefits should be restored to clients within ten calendar days, according to Anibal Ramos, Essex County Director of Citizen Services.

SNAP, TANF, and General Assistance recipients can expect reimbursement from the county for their existing EBT account, according to Ramos. Benefit recipients are not required to obtain a new EBT card but must change their PIN for security purposes.

If you haven’t heard back within 10 calendar days of submitting your form, you can follow up by calling the Essex County Department of Citizen Services Division of Family Assistance and Benefits at 973-395-8000, submitting an inquiry through the county’s WeCare portal, or finding your county’s social service agency online. 

What is the government doing to stop scams and stolen benefit theft?

The Stop Scammers, Card Abuse, and Malicious Skimming Act or Stop SCAMS Act, introduced in July 2024, will require states to inform benefit recipients about potential scam risks and address security concerns such as the lack of an embedded chip on EBT cards.

The new federal bill is modeled after a similar state bill that Senator Scutari and others introduced in March 2024.

While Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. has acknowledged previous spikes in clients’ benefits being electronically stolen in a press release emailed to The Jersey Bee, advocates think municipalities can do more to prevent theft.

“I would say the response is minimal,” said Gosselink. She described one incident where seven clients who shopped at the same convenience store reported their benefits being stolen, yet she’s unclear if local law enforcement took any action. 

“What have the police done? Because we don’t really hear that aspect,” she said. “[Municipalities] try to have a quick response, but it’s not a thought-out response.”

She explained that part of the challenge is that there was no regulatory trigger at the federal level for returning stolen benefits for years. In late December 2022, U.S. Congress passed a law that allowed states to use federal dollars to reimburse stolen benefits from October 2022 to September 2024. If your benefits were stolen before that time frame, you were out of luck.

Ramos of the Essex County Department of Citizen Services said there’s currently no plan to deal with benefits loss that may occur after this September.

Where can I find free food while I wait for my SNAP benefits to be replaced?

Find food pantry listings and other resources on The Jersey Bee’s food access page.