If you thought food stamp fraud was rare, think again. A woman recently went viral after breaking down how a USDA employee allegedly pulled off a massive SNAP scam—one that might go down as one of the biggest in U.S. history.
The woman, who worked in the fraud department at the USDA (yes, the department that is supposed to stop this kind of thing), is accused of stealing more than $66 million in SNAP benefits. Instead of investigating fraud, she was running it, and it all revolved around the clever use of fake EBT terminals and phony store licenses.
How were fake EBT cards and terminals used?
So, here is how it allegedly worked, according to reports. The USDA employee would set up fake Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) terminals—these are the card machines where you swipe your food stamp card to pay for groceries.
But here is the kicker: these terminals were placed in unauthorized stores, including smoke shops and other sketchy businesses that were never meant to accept SNAP benefits.
To make it all look legit, she would doctor applications and misuse real USDA license numbers. That meant these shady stores could now accept EBT cards—and every time someone swiped one of the fake cards, it looked like a normal transaction.
At the end of the day, those fake transactions would convert into cash, and the money would get deposited into the participating store’s bank account. Then it would be split up between the USDA employee and her network.
Why is this being called one of the biggest SNAP frauds ever?
The scope of this operation is what is truly jaw-dropping. According to sources close to the case, this scam was not just running in one or two stores. It involved dozens of fraudulent applications, unauthorized store setups, and millions of dollars moving like clockwork.
“This is one of the biggest frauds in history,” one woman said in a viral TikTok-style breakdown of the case. “She had fake terminals. She had fake licenses. She was doing the applications herself. She was the inside plug.”
It is believed that over $30 million was converted into cash using these fake SNAP transactions alone, with the rest of the money potentially tied up in fake cards and accounts.
What happens next in the USDA SNAP fraud case?
As of now, the USDA has not made a full public statement with all the details, but the investigation is still ongoing. The woman at the center of the scandal is facing federal charges, and authorities are digging deeper into just how far the fraud reached.
If you are wondering how something this big slipped through the cracks—especially in the fraud department—that is the question a lot of Americans are now asking. There might be more to this story that we are yet to find out.
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