By Russ Reed

    AUGUSTA, Maine (WMTW) -- The Maine Department of Health and Human services says about $76,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were stolen from EBT cardholders in the state this week.

DHHS officials said approximately 300 Maine households have been impacted thus far, but that number may increase since the incident is still unfolding.

The DHHS Office for Family Independence has identified SNAP benefits are being stolen through fraudulent point-of-sale devices registered in New York, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Officials noted that other fraudulent terminals may be identified in other locations, and that a number of other states are also being impacted by the mass theft of benefits.

"This incident appears to be the result of large-scale theft involving stolen card numbers and PINs – sometimes referred to as 'cloning' – rather than a localized skimming device," Ian Yaffe, director of the DHHS Office for Family Independence, said in a statement. "While this type of fraud and theft has occurred in other states, this is the first time we have seen it at this scale in Maine."

SNAP benefits help low-income individuals and families afford food by supplementing their monthly grocery budget. In July 2025, about $29 million in SNAP benefits were provided to approximately 173,000 Mainers.

The Maine households impacted by the theft had recently received their August SNAP benefits and now face having no food assistance until September. Stolen SNAP benefits may not be replaced under federal rules.

"We're really disturbed to hear that this growing national problem has hit Maine in such a big way," said Alex Carter, a policy advocate at Maine Equal Justice.

There used to be a system in place that could help reimburse stolen money, but it was eliminated last year.

This incident comes nearly a year after the American Relief Act was passed. The act cancelled any replacement plan in case of theft. Carter is calling on Congress to change that.

"We have an opportunity to get people the food that they need and the resources that they need," Carter said. "Congress has, over and over again, made the decision not to provide those resources."

The Maine DHHS Office for Family Independence immediately contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service to block impacted terminals at the known locations and to conduct an investigation. Maine's EBT vendor, Fidelity Information Services, has also engaged its fraud investigation team.

The Office for Family Independence is also contacting affected Mainers where possible and working to order new EBT cards for those households.

Yaffe said all SNAP recipients in Maine should change their EBT card's PIN and go to the Pinetree Card website or the ebtEDGE app to enable personal protections on their cards.

EBT cardholders are also encouraged to take these steps to protect their accounts:

Use the lock/unlock Feature in the ebtEDGE app or online to temporarily block access to benefits when not in use.Block out-of-state or online transactions if these are not regularly needed.Regularly review account activity to spot suspicious transactions quickly.Change the PIN now and regularly. PINs can be updated at any time, including right before issuance. Frequent PIN updates can help protect accounts. Updating a PIN can be done through FIS’s automated system by calling 1-800-477-7428.Choose a Strong PIN. Avoid simple PINs that are easy to guess like 0000, 1234, or birthdates.

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