According to a fraud expert, Alabama is now the top-ranking state in the country for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) theft. SNAP, which provides approximately $96 billion in assistance, is the largest federally funded nutrition assistance program available to Americans.
Per the USDA, recent data shows Alabama had over 26,000 stolen-benefit claims in Q1 FY2025 alone. The figure represents more than the sum of California's and New York's combined.
Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government, advises over 9,000 agencies, has joined Secret Service SNAP fraud raids and has testified before Congress twice.
Talcove explained to 1819 News why the problem is growing in Alabama and across the nation.
"The fact of the matter is, a lot of this is underreported, and you have three sorts of dynamics going on," said Talcove.
"So if I went into your wallet, looked at your credit card, you would see a chip on that credit card. If you look at an EBT card from Alabama or any state right now, there's no chip on it, and it's basically a glorified hotel room key that is used to distribute $110 billion," he continued.
"That's the first problem," Talcove added. "It is incredibly easy for criminals to put skimmers on, and it's incredibly easy because there are just no security features on it for people to gain the system."
Talcove pointed to factory-set passwords as another major issue causing the spike in SNAP fraud.
"The second point is the USDA, to this day, uses the same password when you first get your card," he said. "I'll tell you what it is. It's 1234, printed. And so then it's incumbent upon the individuals who receive the EBT card to change the password, of which less than 15% do."
Card number sequencing was the next detrimental factor mentioned by Talcove.
"The third thing that happens is they sequence the card numbers in an order that isn't random, and there are computer programs that can figure out the sequencing. So people just manufacture their own cards," Talcove noted.
The USDA has offered the following suggestions to fight SNAP theft:
- Protect PINs: Never share your PIN and cover the keypad when entering it.
- Monitor account: Regularly check your EBT account for any unauthorized charges.
- Secure card: Be vigilant for suspicious devices on card-swiping machines, especially those that look like overlays or are larger than the original machine.
- Use security features: If available, opt in to transaction alerts and block online purchases. Some states allow recipients to lock their cards to prevent unauthorized use.
- Report issues: If you notice suspicious activity, report it to your local SNAP office immediately.
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