Inside NYC's 'perfect scam': Luxury cars, dusty shelves and the EBT secret behind the counter
Stocked with food that expired years ago and lined with dusty shelves, some New York City bodegas and delis have allegedly been operating as fronts for organized Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card-skimming schemes, using hidden devices to steal information and ultimately taxpayer-funded benefits, according to an expert who is sounding the alarm.Criminals attach hidden skimming devices to checkout payment terminals to capture EBT card data while using pinhole cameras or keypad overlays to record customers' PINs, according to the FBI. The stolen information is then used to create counterfeit cards and drain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, costing consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion each year."A large percentage of these convenience stores are actually EBT ATMs," Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government, told Fox News Digital "Their sole purpose is to traffic cards, not sell food."Speaking after joining the Secret Service on a recent fraud operation in New York City, Talcove continued: "I saw firsthand a can of tuna that expired three years ago.
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Stocked with food that expired years ago and lined with dusty shelves, some New York City bodegas and delis have allegedly been operating as fronts for organized Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card-skimming schemes, using hidden devices to steal information and ultimately taxpayer-funded benefits, according to an expert who is sounding the alarm.Criminals attach hidden skimming devices to checkout payment terminals to capture EBT card data while using pinhole cameras or keypad overlays to record customers' PINs, according to the FBI. The stolen information is then used to create counterfeit cards and drain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, costing consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion each year."A large percentage of these convenience stores are actually EBT ATMs," Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government, told Fox News Digital "Their sole purpose is to traffic cards, not sell food."Speaking after joining the Secret Service on a recent fraud operation in New York City, Talcove continued: "I saw firsthand a can of tuna that expired three years ago. I saw firsthand pancake syrup that was two years expired, sardines that were expired. What struck me is the industry that is built around trafficking these EBT cards, taking away money from individuals and their families that actually need it."SNAP FOOD STAMP FRAUD HAS NEFARIOUS TERRORISM LINKS, TOP AGRICULTURE WATCHDOG WARNS CONGRESSAccording to the Secret Service, the agency's New York Field Office conducted a three-day operation across Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens in June that uncovered 35 illegal skimming devices and prevented an estimated $36.5 million in fraud, marking its fourth anti-skimming operation in New York City this year.Eligible households receive monthly SNAP benefits on an EBT card, which works like a debit card and is used to buy eligible food at authorized retailers, according to the U.S.
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- What's the story?
- Stocked with food that expired years ago and lined with dusty shelves, some New York City bodegas and delis have allegedly been operating as fronts for organized Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card-skimming schemes, using hidden devices to steal information and ultimately taxpayer-funded benefits, according to an expert who is sounding the alarm.Criminals attach hidden skimming devices to checkout payment terminals to capture EBT card data while using pinhole cameras or keypad overlays to record customers' PINs, according to the FBI. The stolen information is then used to create counterfeit cards and drain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, costing consumers and financial institutions more than $1 billion each year."A large percentage of these convenience stores are actually EBT ATMs," Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions Government, told Fox News Digital "Their sole purpose is to traffic cards, not sell food."Speaking after joining the Secret Service on a recent fraud operation in New York City, Talcove continued: "I saw firsthand a can of tuna that expired three years ago.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 14m ago.
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Inside NYC's 'perfect scam': Luxury cars, dusty shelves and the EBT secret behind the counter
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