Indianapolis, IN

SNAP recipients in Indiana benefits stolen through card skimmers

Published

1 year ago

May 16, 2023

SNAP recipients in Indiana benefits stolen through card skimmers

INDIANAPOLIS – 600,000 people in Indiana rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to feed their families. Over a hundred have had their benefits stolen over the last few months with no reimbursement.

“Everybody that is receiving snap benefits should know about this,” Bonita Edwards, a SNAP recipient who had her benefits stolen from her EBT card said.

Edwards is single mom of two. She works full time, but needs the benefits she gets from SNAP to feed her family.

“I get mine at the beginning of the month and it happened the same exact day that they were loaded on to my card,” Edwards said. “So I went to Kroger earlier that morning and then I went to Walmart on 56th street, the neighborhood Walmart, and that’s the last store I went to before anything happened.”

Edwards filed a complaint with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. She is hoping to eventually be reimbursed.

Edwards isn’t the only person in Indianapolis that had their benefits stolen.

Rhonda Cook’s benefits were stolen at the end of April. She used her card at Save A Lot. When she went to use it again over 800 dollars was spent.

“Monday, I contacted the Division of Family and Children and told them what happened,” Cook said. “ I told them I didn’t use that. That was my balance. The lady took some more information and looked it up to see where it was spent and it was spent in Houston, Texas. Oh, wow. So I’m like, Well, I’ve never been there a day in my life. Then she said, okay, did you share your pin number with anybody? I said No. Why would I do that?”

She filed a police report with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. We reached out to see if they were investigating and they gave the following response:

The complainant reported to IMPD that this incident occurred in Texas so we would not investigate this incident. Given these relate to federal and state funding, we will defer questions about those programs (including the crime prevention) to the other agencies.

IMPD

According to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, the benefits are being stolen through card scammers or duplicators often found at stores across the country.

This is a growing problem, according to cyber-security expert Sagar Samtani.

“It’s very common and very significant issue actually that has been increasing over the last five to 10 years in particular and a lot credit cards are being skimmed and swiped quite extensively,” Samtani the Director of the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab at Indiana University said.

Emily Weikert-Bryant is the Executive Director for Feeding Indiana’s Hungry. They advocate for those who are food insecure. She says there is only one piece of advice they have for snap recipients at this time.

“If you change your PIN number you are less likely to have your benefits skimmed in a situation like that,” Weikert-Bryant said. “It’s not a fail-safe, it’s not the perfect solution, but it’s the best advice that everyone has at the moment.”

The federal government is working to address this national issue. Last year, a law was passed to protect and replace snap benefits that were stolen.

Indiana has submitted their plan for reimbursement. However, it will be a while before recipients can expect their benefits to be reimbursed.

“USDA is sorting through them to make sure what they are proposing is workable and a good solution,” Weikert-Bryant said. “So as of yet they don’t know when they would expect those benefits would come out but they will have to wait to get that approval from USDA.”

If you have had your SNAP benefits stolen, it’s important to report it.

Anyone who has had benefits stolen from them between the dates of October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2024 will likely qualify for reimbursement. For more information click here.

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Related Topics:Featured Fraud FSSA indiana snap

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Indianapolis, IN

'UnPHILtered': Savannah Bananas coach talks about what to expect

Published

2 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

'UnPHILtered': Savannah Bananas coach talks about what to expect

(WISH) — The Savannah Bananas baseball team will take over Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis in just a few days.

The team has three games scheduled from June 27-29.

News 8 anchor Phil Sanchez, on Tuesday’s “UnPHILtered,” spoke with Savannah Bananas team president Jared Orton about what fans can expect this year.

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Indianapolis, IN

On/off storms through Wednesday, nice Thursday before heat returns

Published

10 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

On/off storms through Wednesday, nice Thursday before heat returns

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — We have had an active Tuesday that started as early as before sunrise. Then, showers and storms rolled in through the afternoon hours.

We will continue to see some storms over the next day before we briefly return to pleasant weather.

Tuesday night: Additional activity may fire off and slowly move into central Indiana tonight. There does remain a lower risk for severe storms with damaging winds being the primary concerns.

Due to slower moving rain and storms from Tuesday morning-afternoon, we will also have to monitor the potential for some flooding.

Lows will only fall into the low 70s.

Wednesday: Expect on and off showers and storms for Wednesday. There will be concerns for some flooding along with a low threat for severe storms.

This severe risk is south of Indy, and the primary hazards will be wind and some hail.

Highs look to be a little cooler with numbers in the low 80s. It will be a bit humid as well.

Thursday: Pleasant conditions are set to return Thursday with lots of sunshine and less humid air. Highs will be near normal in the low to mid 80s.

8-Day Forecast: It won’t take long for the heat to return going into the final weekend of June. Friday will see highs push into the mid 80s with the muggy meter turning back up. Saturday looks to be a hot and muggy day with highs nearing 90. A few showers and storms will be possible late Friday with better storm chances Saturday. It is too soon to tell if we’ll have a severe threat Saturday. Temperatures turn back closer to normal going into the start of July next Monday.

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Indianapolis, IN

Amos C. Brown, III Legacy Awards honor leaders in media – Indianapolis Recorder

Published

17 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Amos C. Brown, III Legacy Awards honor leaders in media – Indianapolis Recorder

The family of the late Indiana broadcaster and community activist Amos C. Brown, III is proud to announce the inaugural Amos C. Brown, III Legacy Awards. This prestigious event will honor six outstanding individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the media landscape and the community fabric of Indianapolis.

The honorees for the inaugural Amos C. Brown, III Legacy Awards are:

CHANGE MAKER: Tina Cosby, Host of Community Connection and Community Public Affairs Director, Radio One Indianapolis

VISIONARY: DuJuan McCoy, Founder/Owner, Circle City Broadcasting

INNOVATOR: Shannon Williams, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, The Mind Trust

TRAILBLAZER: Rafael Sanchez, Multimedia Journalist and Voice of the Indianapolis Airport

LEGEND: Derrik Thomas, Broadcaster and Member, Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame

ICON: Barbara Boyd, Journalist, Member of the Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame, Philanthropist, Socialite, and Community Advocate

These remarkable individuals will be honored during a special presentation on Wednesday, June 26th, at the Amos C. Brown, III Scholarship Fundraiser. The event will take place at the Hirons Agency, located at 422 E. New York Street, Indianapolis, Indiana from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. Esteemed Radio One Indianapolis personalities Tony Lamont and Karen Vaughn will serve as the masters of ceremonies for the evening.

“We are thrilled to recognize these incredible individuals whose dedication and contributions have left a lasting imprint on our community,” said a family spokesperson. “Their achievements not only honor the legacy of our beloved Amos but also inspire future generations to continue making impactful contributions to our society.”

The Amos C. Brown, III Scholarship Fundraiser and Legacy Awards aim to celebrate and perpetuate the spirit of community service and excellence in media championed by Amos C. Brown, III.

For more information about the inaugural honorees and event details, please visit Amos C. Brown Legacy Awards.

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