Greg's Corner

Food Stamp scam affecting the country

The current pandemic has seen the meteoric rise of a number of original scams on a never seen before basis. The majority of these scams have targeted those who have been negatively affected economically by the pandemic. At first, it was the scammers who were trying to steal your economic impact payment. This was quickly followed up by scammers applying for unemployment benefits in every state by using stolen identities. Now, a new nationwide scam has emerged once again targeting those who are the most financially vulnerable in our society.

States from Pennsylvania to Hawaii are reporting about a text message scam that’s promising victims SNAP benefits. You may know SNAP better under its former name of food stamps. The scammers are sending text messages stating that the recipient is eligible for SNAP benefits even though they may not have applied for them. With so many people facing economic hardships in the country, this scam has the potential to claim a record number of victims. While some who have never had to apply for SNAP may think it’s relatively easy to get these benefits, the reverse is actually quite true. So if someone who is desperate to receive additional food benefits receives this text message there is great potential that they could fall for this scam.

More than likely, the scammers are after one of two things. They either want your personal information to steal your identity, or they want a payment disguised as a ‘processing fee’.

The states being affected by this scam have issued warnings that the state will never approach anyone randomly with the offer of SNAP. If you have applied for SNAP, you’ll always receive your approval in the mail. If you receive one of these texts, it’s best that you just delete the text. However, if you have questions or concerns about your SNAP benefits, you should contact your local SNAP office.