This story was produced by NBC News’ Elizabeth Chuck as part of the 2022 National Fellowship at the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.
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A growing number of low-income households have been robbed of the funds they use to purchase food, and with no federal fraud protections for them, most have little hope of ever getting reimbursed.
Thieves using hidden “skimming” devices are increasingly targeting benefit cards used by participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The electronic thefts have risen so much in recent months that the U.S. Agriculture Department, which funds the program, issued a warning about SNAP skimming in late October.