Texans receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits are being targeted by a sophisticated 'spoofing' spam, according to a warning from the state's Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
In a press release published on February 27, the HHSC said scammers mimicking the Lone Star Card help desk are calling benefit recipients and falsely claiming they can offer increased payments in exchange for the citizen's PIN, Social Security number and date of birth.
The Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank, says around 3.4 million Texans receive SNAP benefits to help them obtain food.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) forms part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It said it had been receiving 10 to 15 complaints a day about the scam, which uses a tactic called spoofing. Victims report getting a call listing the Lone Star Card help desk caller ID (800-777-7328) after which either a caller or an automated voice requests personal information that they claim is needed for benefit increase.
HHSC Access and Eligibility Services Deputy Executive Commissioner Molly Regan said: "There are millions of Texans who need our benefits, and we don't want them taken advantage of.
"We know how important these benefits are, so we're doing all we can to help prevent fraud and make it easy to report it when it happens," Regan added.
HHSC Inspector General Raymond Charles Winter said: "As the OIG Fraud Hotline identifies new and increasingly sophisticated scams, we want Texans to be able to protect themselves against those attempts to steal their information.
"Regardless of what the caller ID says, do not provide any personal information in response to an unsolicited call," Winter added.
The HHSC says that it will "never reach out by phone, text or email to ask for their card number and PIN." If a Texan receives a call about their benefits, they can confirm it really is the HHSC by hanging up the phone, then calling the number on the back of their Lone Star Card.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of Lone Star Card fraud is urged to immediately call the Lone Star Card help desk at 800-777-7328. They should also report it to the OIG at 800-436-6184 and inform local law enforcement. Those scammed can request additional benefits via their local HHSC office.
From February 26, those eligible to receive SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, could claim them online, regardless of where in the U.S. they live.
Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland says that individual states should limit SNAP benefits to "only nutrient-dense foods and beverages" as part of an effort to fix America's obesity crisis. In a joint-opinion post in The Hill, Harris said: "Not only will nutrition reforms to SNAP improve the health of low-income Americans, they are necessary to help address the country's impending fiscal crisis."
On February 22, a Republican-backed bill passed the Kentucky House of Representatives. It would force SNAP applicants to show they have assets of less than $2,750, or $4,250 for "seniors and people with disabilities."
This week, an Illinois man was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay back $1.2 million after a federal judge concluded he stole using a SNAP benefits fraud scheme. Separately, in New York City, two people have been charged with stealing millions of dollars in SNAP payments via a store one of them owned.
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