Salt Lake City Man’s SNAP Benefits Stolen, Funds May Not Be Recovered

Salt Lake City  – A Salt Lake City man recently discovered that his monthly SNAP benefits, which are crucial for buying food, had been drained from his account, leaving him without funds for essentials.

“I checked my account on Sunday, expecting to see my food assistance funds, only to find that they had been spent in New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” said Gonzales. “I had no idea how my card information was compromised.”

Gonzales, who receives his benefits on the fifth of each month, was shocked to see a zero balance, especially since he had planned to buy basic groceries like milk, bread, and eggs. “I needed to go to the store, and now I can’t.”

While Utah’s Department of Workforce Services acknowledges that fraud involving cloned SNAP cards is rare, there has been a noticeable uptick in such cases. Kevin Burt, the deputy director of Workforce Services, stressed the importance of safeguarding SNAP benefits and encouraged recipients to take simple precautions, such as changing their PIN regularly, monitoring transactions, and never sharing their PIN.

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However, Gonzales is facing a frustrating situation, as recent changes to the SNAP program mean that the stolen funds cannot be recovered. The state’s funding to replace stolen benefits expired on December 20, 2024. Recipients who had funds stolen before that date were able to report the theft and receive a reimbursement until January 15, 2025, but after that, there are no options for recovery.

Burt explained that the program for replacing stolen benefits had expired, and while it has been refunded in the past, there are currently no plans to restore those protections.

With a new SNAP card on the way, Gonzales remains concerned about future security. “There’s no real security with a four-digit PIN. My bank and credit cards use longer passwords,” he said.

For now, Gonzales has filed a fraud report and hopes that Workforce Services can help recover at least some of the stolen funds. If not, he plans to rely on local food pantries until his next benefits deposit in February.

More than 180,000 Utahns rely on SNAP benefits to provide for themselves and their families.

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keelee-mccain

Keelee McCain is a junior at Weber High School. This is her second year on staff, this year as Assistant to the Chief. She does have a life (probably) but she can't think of anything to write in here, so she's probably just going to ramble now. She has an orange cat who she likes better than any human. If you see her being quiet or not sitting on top of a desk, there is something very wrong. In her free time she enjoys harassing her favorite teachers and sleeping. Her life plans include making it through high school and leaving. Happy lifeing.

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