Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) and City Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D—Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Boro Park and Sunset Park) had an extended meeting with an array of state agency representatives on Monday, November 25, in an effort to brainstorm solutions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) scams that have created problems for local residents.

Assemblyman Colton and Councilmember Zhuang have been working on the issue since the summer, when their offices started getting reports of unauthorized transactions made by people unknown to them on constituents’ EBT cards. The unauthorized transactions were made either out of state or online, leaving the constituents without the funds needed to purchase essential groceries.

Both elected officials sounded the alert that there had been a rash of unauthorized withdrawals from EBT accounts, and recommended that EBT card holders lock their accounts to prevent fraudulent transactions from being made online or in other states. In addition, they reached out to various agencies seeking a solution to the problem, which was exacerbated by the Human Resources Administration (HRA), which administers the program, saying it would stop reimbursing recipients who were scammed, even when they provided proof of such withdrawals. They then held a joint press conference in October to bring additional attention to the problem, following which the governor’s office reached out to offer assistance, Assemblyman Colton said.

“There’s now a full-court press to create a solution to this extremely serious problem,” said Assemblyman Colton. “Agencies are working hard to make it as easy as possible for EBT card holders to use their cards, while protecting their accounts. It’s really gratifying that the governor’s office listened to us and mobilized the state officials who can actually solve the issue, including those from the State Office of Food and Nutrition and the Governmental Affairs office. We’re looking forward to a satisfactory resolution of this problem being forthcoming.”

One possible solution that is currently being explored, according to Assemblyman Colton, is creating a system whereby users could lock or unlock their EBT cards by calling a special phone number. Currently, he said, the system requires users to log in via a smartphone or computer, which is problematic for people who do not have easy access to the technology.