Monroe County officials are reporting a surge of theft involving Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards this month.
The County Department of Social Services is reporting about 350 skimming incidents of EBT cards in June.
Officials said that has resulted in accounts being compromised and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance (TA) benefits being stolen.
And the county said this theft involves skimming devices which can copy information from the cardholder, when a skimmer is placed on top of the machine a store uses to read the EBT cards.
The stolen information is then used to access the person’s EBT account and spend their benefits.
Monroe County officials said they are committed to addressing these thefts and have also expedited the replacement of funds that were stolen.
Individuals seeking replacement benefits must visit Monroe County Social Services at 691 St. Paul Street or 111 Westfall Road to obtain a replacement EBT card and PIN number, and to file their application for replacement benefits.
It is recommended that applicants download the benefits replacement form, fill it out, and bring it with them.
Forms are also available at the Social Services office.
The Monroe County Dept. of Human Services is helping affected clients with alternate ways of getting food, including food banks or food vouchers, while they wait for their benefits to be restored.