A MOM was left without grocery money to feed her family after $1,500 was wiped from her account in under two minutes.
The hard-up mom panicked she would not be able to feed her kids, and it took her months to recover.
Deborah Johnson had all her benefits for one month stolen from herCredit: WXIA-TV
She realised what had happened when she checked her balance and it was zeroCredit: WXIA-TV
The money had been drained through a series of transaction within two minutesCredit: WXIA-TV
Deborah Jordan, from Georgia, had all of her benefits money swiped from her SNAP card in December, according to NBC affiliate WXIA-TV.
Deborah – who spends 10 hours in the kitchen each day – said: “Our grocery bill is $2,500 a month, and I get $1,500 through SNAP.
“So it does supplement a big chunk of it, which I’m very grateful for.”
But when she checked her account in December, it showed a “zero dollar balance”.
Deborah could see that the benefits had loaded, but then it had been wiped out by thieves in Pennsylvania.
All the money disappeared in under two minutes.
Deborah thought: “How did they do that?”
The swipe cards are known to be vulnerable to fraud.
The data is easy to skim with devices hidden in card machines, and can be cloned onto fake cards.
Fraudsters can also use bots to find information like card balances and PINs online.
Deborah’s card was drained just before Christmas – the worst time of year for it to happen.
But the dedicated mom still tried to create festive magic for her family.
She said: “I just tried to create the experience. Like making some cookies.”
Georgia State has used almost $14million of federal funding to replace stolen benefits .
And anyone whose benefits were stolen after December 20, 2024 won’t even be able to claim the money back.
That’s because congress did not renew federal replacement funding.
States are being urged to transition to chip cards – rather than swipe – as soon as possible.
It is hoped that switch will result in less money being stolen from those in need.
Card data can be copied using hidden devicesCredit: WXIA-TV
Almost $14million has been stolen from SNAP cards in GeorgiaCredit: Getty
