Diabetic Daisy May, 67, of Brooklyn was robbed of her food stamps in January after crooks gained access to her welfare account and stripped it. “I pray for them,” May said. Adams for News
Identity thieves are hungry for more than just credit cards.
In a scam sweeping the city, crooks are breaking into welfare accounts and stealing food stamps from the poor.
Daisy May, 67, of Brooklyn, fell prey in January when she went to use her food stamps and discovered someone had already spent her $153 monthly allotment.
"I pray for them because they need a lot of prayers after stealing from senior citizens," said May, a diabetic who goes for weekly dialysis.
May was one of 163 New Yorkers who collectively had $40,000 worth of food stamps stolen this year by crooks who accessed welfare accounts, according to the Human Resources Administration.
Here's how it works
Scammers posing as HRA employees call food-stamp recipients, apparently at random. Claiming to be renewing their benefits, the scammers obtain Social Security numbers and access to the account, said Peter Jenik, who heads the agency's fraud division.
"We know they are getting to our clients," Jenik said.
The problem first surfaced in 2001 but was limited to about a dozen victims. It swelled to 236 last year, so HRA posted flyers in welfare centers warning clients not to give personal information to callers.
This summer, center directors requested more warning flyers because so many clients were being abused.
HRA officials fear high-tech criminals are seizing on improvements the agency has made to the food-stamp system, including recently allowing people to recertify their stamps over the phone, a development the agency highlighted in a massive advertising campaign.
"The more progress we make, the more thoughtful we have to be about putting protections in place," said HRA spokeswoman Barbara Brancaccio.
"It's important for people to know they shouldn't respond to a phone call unless they've gotten written notification."
May became suspicious when she got a call from someone claiming to be an HRA official about a week before she learned her food stamps were stolen.
"I thought, 'Something is strange because welfare doesn't call on Sundays,'" said May.
Although food-stamp recipients are given a card - much like a credit card, with money deposited to the account - to show in grocery stores, sometimes the cashier will just plug in the account number if the card is missing, Jenik said.
The agency has urged store owners to only accept cards to prevent theft, but Jenik said, "Sometimes the bodega is crooked, too."
klucadamo@nydailynews.com
© Copyright 2008 NYDailyNews.com
August 21, 2008
USA: Sick senior citizen loses food stamps to lowlifes who steal welfare accounts
NEW YORK (Daily News), August 20, 2008:
By Kathleen Lucadamo, Daily News City Hall Bureau
Diabetic Daisy May, 67, of Brooklyn was robbed of her food stamps in January after crooks gained access to her welfare account and stripped it. “I pray for them,” May said. Adams for News
Identity thieves are hungry for more than just credit cards.
In a scam sweeping the city, crooks are breaking into welfare accounts and stealing food stamps from the poor.
Daisy May, 67, of Brooklyn, fell prey in January when she went to use her food stamps and discovered someone had already spent her $153 monthly allotment.
"I pray for them because they need a lot of prayers after stealing from senior citizens," said May, a diabetic who goes for weekly dialysis.
May was one of 163 New Yorkers who collectively had $40,000 worth of food stamps stolen this year by crooks who accessed welfare accounts, according to the Human Resources Administration.
Here's how it works
Scammers posing as HRA employees call food-stamp recipients, apparently at random. Claiming to be renewing their benefits, the scammers obtain Social Security numbers and access to the account, said Peter Jenik, who heads the agency's fraud division.
"We know they are getting to our clients," Jenik said.
The problem first surfaced in 2001 but was limited to about a dozen victims. It swelled to 236 last year, so HRA posted flyers in welfare centers warning clients not to give personal information to callers.
This summer, center directors requested more warning flyers because so many clients were being abused.
HRA officials fear high-tech criminals are seizing on improvements the agency has made to the food-stamp system, including recently allowing people to recertify their stamps over the phone, a development the agency highlighted in a massive advertising campaign.
"The more progress we make, the more thoughtful we have to be about putting protections in place," said HRA spokeswoman Barbara Brancaccio.
"It's important for people to know they shouldn't respond to a phone call unless they've gotten written notification."
May became suspicious when she got a call from someone claiming to be an HRA official about a week before she learned her food stamps were stolen.
"I thought, 'Something is strange because welfare doesn't call on Sundays,'" said May.
Although food-stamp recipients are given a card - much like a credit card, with money deposited to the account - to show in grocery stores, sometimes the cashier will just plug in the account number if the card is missing, Jenik said.
The agency has urged store owners to only accept cards to prevent theft, but Jenik said, "Sometimes the bodega is crooked, too."
klucadamo@nydailynews.com
© Copyright 2008 NYDailyNews.com
Diabetic Daisy May, 67, of Brooklyn was robbed of her food stamps in January after crooks gained access to her welfare account and stripped it. “I pray for them,” May said. Adams for News
Identity thieves are hungry for more than just credit cards.
In a scam sweeping the city, crooks are breaking into welfare accounts and stealing food stamps from the poor.
Daisy May, 67, of Brooklyn, fell prey in January when she went to use her food stamps and discovered someone had already spent her $153 monthly allotment.
"I pray for them because they need a lot of prayers after stealing from senior citizens," said May, a diabetic who goes for weekly dialysis.
May was one of 163 New Yorkers who collectively had $40,000 worth of food stamps stolen this year by crooks who accessed welfare accounts, according to the Human Resources Administration.
Here's how it works
Scammers posing as HRA employees call food-stamp recipients, apparently at random. Claiming to be renewing their benefits, the scammers obtain Social Security numbers and access to the account, said Peter Jenik, who heads the agency's fraud division.
"We know they are getting to our clients," Jenik said.
The problem first surfaced in 2001 but was limited to about a dozen victims. It swelled to 236 last year, so HRA posted flyers in welfare centers warning clients not to give personal information to callers.
This summer, center directors requested more warning flyers because so many clients were being abused.
HRA officials fear high-tech criminals are seizing on improvements the agency has made to the food-stamp system, including recently allowing people to recertify their stamps over the phone, a development the agency highlighted in a massive advertising campaign.
"The more progress we make, the more thoughtful we have to be about putting protections in place," said HRA spokeswoman Barbara Brancaccio.
"It's important for people to know they shouldn't respond to a phone call unless they've gotten written notification."
May became suspicious when she got a call from someone claiming to be an HRA official about a week before she learned her food stamps were stolen.
"I thought, 'Something is strange because welfare doesn't call on Sundays,'" said May.
Although food-stamp recipients are given a card - much like a credit card, with money deposited to the account - to show in grocery stores, sometimes the cashier will just plug in the account number if the card is missing, Jenik said.
The agency has urged store owners to only accept cards to prevent theft, but Jenik said, "Sometimes the bodega is crooked, too."
klucadamo@nydailynews.com
© Copyright 2008 NYDailyNews.com
