Electronic benefit transfer (EBT) skimming scams are increasing in New York state. That’s when an illegal device in ATMs, or point-of-sale machines, copies your PIN number.

One woman who fell victim to the scam had her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits stolen off her EBT card. When you rely on food stamps to feed your children, a scam like this can be terrifying.

“I would do anything and everything for my kids," Fayette Dowdell said. "If I have to, I will not eat just to feed my kids.”

Dowdell is a single mother who at the beginning of the month didn’t know where her next meal was coming from.

“October 5, my benefits were stolen. It was 600 of my food stamps,” she said.

Six-hundred stamps usually lasts about a month for Fayette and her two kids. But SNAP benefits being electronically stolen off EBT cards is a problem that more New Yorkers across the state are facing.

“It's like really, you know, crying, upset inside,” Dowdell said. “I don't know how I was going to feed my kids.”

According to the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, over 22,000 claims of SNAP skimming totaling more than $17 million have been reported since January 2022.

It said SNAP recipients should take several basic precautions to protect themselves, including carefully inspecting point-of-sale devices, changing their PIN regularly and reviewing their transaction history frequently.

Dowdell got her food stamps back and has a new EBT card, but she’s urging parents to stay vigilant.

“I wouldn't want any mother to have to go through that, [having] to worry about how I'm going to feed my child,” she said.