State data: Nearly $400,000 in EBT card skimming fraud reported over holidays

Eric Chaloux KSTP

State Data: Nearly $400,000 in EBT card skimming fraud reported over holidays

New Minnesota Department of Human Services data shows $392,075 in EBT fraud-related claims were paid out to victims who were hit by card skimming or cloning over a recent two-month period, according to records.

The amount of fraud discovered was at a level Minnesota DHS said they haven’t experienced before.

“When people target folks that are receiving benefits, it does hit particularly hard, especially around the holidays when budgets are already tight,” said DHS Assistant Commissioner Tikki Brown.

Data provided to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS through a public records request from DHS involving EBT card skimming or cloning fraud appears to show reports filed from 148 households in December, and 579 household reports in January.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension continues to investigate the EBT fraud that was reported.

Ramsey County Prosecutors have an active warrant out for the arrest of a man charged with some of the alleged fraud in the metro, according to court records.

Minnesota EBT cards are loaded monthly with public assistance funds to help low-income families in need through cash benefits, food benefits, or sometimes both.

Back in December, DHS warned EBT users to be on the lookout for skimming devices at the check-out counter after other states were experiencing fraud.

Skimmers can steal the PIN, account number and other information from the card without the user knowing.

“We had been monitoring other states, Texas, California in particular hit pretty hard, we were hopeful that to be honest it wouldn’t hit our state,” said Brown. “When it did, our hearts sort of broke for the families.”

DHS continues to suggest families on assistance use the free “ebtEDGE” mobile app that allows the card holder to freeze their card and block online and out-of-state transactions.

Another suggestion from DHS is for EBT cardholders to change their pins often to protect their information.