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By Aliss Higham
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Fraudulent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit transactions increased by a staggering 55 percent between the final quarter of fiscal year 2024 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service.
Snap is a vital "safety net," a USDA spokesperson told Newsweek, and the rise in thefts threatens people's ability to feed their families.
Why It Matters
SNAP benefits are issued to more than 40 million Americans across the country, providing monthly cash benefits to help low- and no-income families buy groceries.
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However, the program has been mired by criminals targeting recipients, with more than $100 million in food assistance payments reported stolen since 2023, when public records began.
What To Know
SNAP benefits are administered to recipients through electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which are loaded with money every month to use in participating retailers. Like regular debit or credit cards, they are subject to scams such as cloning, phishing or skimming.
Between the final quarter of fiscal year 2024 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, the total number of fraudulent SNAP transactions jumped from 444,553 to 691,604—an increase of 247,051, or 55 percent. It marks the largest rise in fraudulent claims across a single time period since the USDA began publishing these records.
Since the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, more than $102 million in stolen benefits has been replaced by the federal government, the dataset reveals.
The new figures come as the USDA has vowed to crack down on SNAP benefit theft. The federal agency announced it had taken part in "targeted benefit fraud" operations in California in late April.
When queried about the theft increases by Newsweek, a spokesperson said: "SNAP is a vital nutrition safety net for low-income Americans. When benefits are stolen, SNAP participants' ability to feed their families is threatened. USDA will continue to leverage every resource and authority that remains at its disposal to combat all forms of SNAP fraud and abuse."
Lawmakers in several states have also proposed action to stop SNAP fraud. In New York, a bill calling for EMV chips, which are used in credit and debit cards that make it more difficult to counterfeit or steal card information, to become standard on EBT cards has passed the state Senate. In Pennsylvania, SNAP users can now lock their EBT card through an app when not in use to prevent their benefits from being stolen.
Late last year, the USDA ended the federal reimbursement of stolen SNAP benefits. For benefits stolen prior to December 21, 2024, these were in most cases reimbursed by the USDA, which funds the program.
However, the funding required to repay theft victims was not approved by Congress in a continuing resolution passed by lawmakers in December. At the time, the federal agency said that "SNAP state agencies can choose to replace stolen benefits using state funds."
In April, Representative Al Green, a Texas Democrat, introduced the SNAP Secure Act of 2025, which calls for the reinstatement of federal funding to cover food stamp recipients who have been victims of fraud and theft.
What People Are Saying
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement on May 2: "Fraud will not be tolerated by the Trump administration. I want to thank our hardworking law enforcement officers who work every day to ensure federal benefits are properly distributed and safeguard taxpayer dollars from criminals.
"President Trump is restoring law and order. At USDA we are fighting back against fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars and ensuring those who need and qualify for benefits, actually receive them."
Texas Representative Al Green, a Democrat, said in a statement in April: "I intend to turn this legislation into a modified amendment to the next appropriations bill. If accepted, this legislation would ensure that those who have had their SNAP benefits stolen will be able to feed themselves and their families."
What Happens Next?
Whether SNAP thefts continue to rise at the same rate remains to be seen, with the next dataset likely to be published in the late summer or fall.
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