New Jersey lawmakers introduce new laws to crack down on SNAP card scams

New Jersey lawmakers have announced new federal legislation to stop scammers from stealing critical benefits for those most in need.

U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer was joined by New Jersey Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Union City Mayor and New Jersey State Senator Brian Stack to announce the new legislation on Monday.

The legislation will require states to inform SNAP, WIC and TANF benefit recipients about the risks of card skimming and other scams. It will also address security issues connected to EBT cards, like the lack of an embedded chip.

Across New Jersey, there have been more than 6,200 victims from October 2022 through February 2024 who have had their benefits stolen.

That includes victims like Tiffany Edwards, a mother of seven, whose cards have been wiped out three times in the past nine months.

It has made Gottheimer furious.

"It's heartless scam artists and fraudsters, who are willing to stick it to hungry children and families, just to make a buck for themselves," Gottheimer said. "It's pathetic and shameless. At the end of the day, food security shouldn't be a partisan issue because hunger doesn't discriminate."

Edwards said the first time she lost $1,139, the next time was $800 and the third time was $1,139.

The total was $3,078. She said she was reimbursed the first two times but not the third time.

Gottheimer wants people to know what is going on and that they can get reimbursed if their SNAP benefits are stolen.

The legislation would change cards nationwide from a strip to a more secure chip -- just like what has been in credit cards for years. While he wants that change to happen ASAP, the legislation calls for a five-year deadline, but in New Jersey, it should be happening in the next six to 12 months.

California and Oklahoma are two of the states moving at a much faster pace. Gottheimer said he wants the problem fixed yesterday.

Nearly 10% of New Jersey's population is food insecure. That includes nearly 200,000 Jersey kids - including 17,500 in Union County and almost 40,000 in Bergen, Sussex, and Passaic counties.

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