New bill aims to strengthen EBT card security amid rising fraud concerns

WOODSTOCK, Ga. - A new bill is set to be drafted in Washington that would require the United States Department of Agriculture to use enhanced anti-fraud protections for EBT cards to combat fraud.

SEE ALSO: Metro Atlanta mother claims EBT fraudsters stole food stamps meant to feed her kids

Local perspective:

Woodstock's Michelle Durham is searching for solutions. Three times in five months someone has stolen funds from her EBT card. In total, she has lost $

She uses 900 in food stamp (SNAP benefits) to feed her family of four children and one grandchild.

"How did they know my information, my PIN number?" exclaimed Durham.

The Georgia Department of Human Services has been warning clients  to be vigilant about protecting their card information due to card skimming.

"This is something should be done, it's not new technology," said proposed bill author, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (D) New York District 10.

What they're saying:

Congressman Dan Goldman is a drafting the bill he hopes to introduce within a few months. A similar bill failed during the last congressional session. An attempt to extend the December 2024 deadline where fraud victims could get reimbursed also failed.

"It is bipartisan, certainly when you're talking about improving technology for government services and government programs, that in theory is what Elon Musk should bring to the table and what he promised," said U.S. Rep. Goldman.

Georgia's Department of Human Services released this statement regarding the state's efforts to enhance EBT card security:

"DHS is actively researching additional technology solutions to enhance card security; however, it is important to note that changes like card chipping are not yet possible in Georgia because most vendors’ EBT point-of-sale systems do not support chipped cards. While the implementation of chip technology is one of the methods the Department is exploring to combat SNAP fraud, it is not the only one. In our efforts to protect the integrity of the program, we cannot discuss all of our fraud prevention methodologies. However, our plans involve approaches centered around customer education, enhanced card security features, and more aggressive investigation capabilities, among other things."