An Illinois SNAP recipient, in a viral, heartbreaking post on Reddit, shared the tragic incident wherein the benefit amount legitimately sanctioned to him was robbed before he could even lay his hands on his EBT card. Under the handle sammi-yogaa, the user went on to narrate this chilling tale of losing $500 worth of food assistance and then, for days afterward, remaining hungry.
Those funds were gone before they were available
As he related in the post, the user applied for this SNAP program in March after losing his job in the hope of rapid assistance. But after the approval was granted, the benefits never appeared on his account via the EBT Edge website. “I haven’t eaten in 2 days because I’m broke, and now I won’t eat until next month, or I won’t make my rent,” he stated. “I’m so scared.”
The missing funds were hard to investigate at the local SNAP office. What they learned was truly tragic: March and April benefits had already been disbursed and instantaneously stolen, without a single transaction history.
“I didn’t even have the card yet, and the March funds were taken from me,” the person mentioned in the post said. “Today I saw a ‘PIN changed’ message but with no actual transaction records.”
“It feels ridiculous to be put in this situation.”
Sammi-yogaa made another post, stating that with help from a friend, he managed to get some groceries and was to go to a food bank the following day. The feeling associated with the incident vexed him to embarrassment and anger.
“There’s no transaction history in my account on ebtEDGE, yet somehow the office could see that someone took my benefits in Philadelphia,” he wrote. “It feels ridiculous.”any
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A pattern of theft?
The post struck a nerve, garnering nearly 1,000 upvotes and more than 400 comments — many from others who reported similar experiences. The comment section exploded with outrage, support, and suspicion that the thefts may be internal.
“Something needs to be done about funds being stolen, instead of having to rely on food banks,” wrote u/Aldrik90.
“To me this makes it so abundantly clear it’s someone working for food stamps themselves,” said u/Bitter_Warning418.
Many Redditors speculated that the thefts were either internal, involving government employees, or the result of data breaches within the EBT system.
“This isn’t skimming,” wrote u/OneWhisper5225. “It’s either an inside job or hackers in the system.”
No replacement for stolen Benefits
Adding insult to injury, multiple users confirmed that many states have stopped reimbursing SNAP users for stolen benefits. u/Valuable-Phrase1255 commented:
“Same thing happened to me. $429 gone. They stopped replacing stolen stamps in December.”
Several also questioned the lack of oversight and accountability in tracking the transactions.
“How did they buy a FREEZER with food stamps?” asked u/Extreme-Inflation-43. “The state could easily identify the person — stores have cameras, receipts, and membership tracking.”
A call for action
The incident highlights a growing crisis in the SNAP system. While food banks continue to support those in urgent need, many feel that’s not a long-term solution.
“Food banks are a godsend,” said u/Amazing_Pie_6467. “But something needs to be fixed at the root of this.”
As more people come forward with similar stories, pressure is mounting on local and federal agencies to investigate EBT thefts and restore faith in the benefits system meant to help the nation’s most vulnerable.
