'Poor people' selling food stamps on Craigslist
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Craigslist makes turning food stamps into cash a SNAP
Published October 22, 2013FoxNews.comFood stamp recipients are turning the government handouts into quick cash with ads on Craigslist, despite efforts to stem fraud.
The federally-funded grocery assistance coupons -- which are issued by states in the form of debit cards under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- are being sold on the online bulletin board as well as auction sites like eBay. FoxNews.com found several offerings at Craigslist sites around the country, where the sellers offered the welfare benefits at large discounts from face value.
"I have food stamps for sale..... Serious Replies only!!!"- Craigslist ad
“If you need food. This is not a gimmick or game,” read one posting from Philadelphia. “Please let me know, I have food stamps for sale..... Serious Replies only!!!”
“I have $500 worth and it costs $350 cash. No I will not do half!” read another posting from the Atlanta area. “I don't need to sell. If you would like to get an extra $150 to $175 in grocery and pay no taxes and can see the benefit that you will still be saving then email me or call me and we can arrange the whole deal as soon as you like.”
Those who are desperately hungry are also taking to the website, offering cash for the stamps.
“DO YOU NEED SOME QUICK CASH?? -- $100 (atlanta),” read the title of one such post, under which the buyer offered: "If you get Food Stamps and need some extra cash then hit me asap,” reads the post.
In another posting from the Trenton, N.J., area, the seller claims that he will have a $100 EBT card available on Nov. 1 for $60.
Contacted by FoxNews.com and asked about the legality of such a transaction, the seller cryptically responded: "Lol are u serious is the govt legal of course but I hve a customer Good day [sic]."
The coupons are not supposed to be transferred, and Craigslist's policy lists them among the items that are not allowed to be sold or bartered on the site. But unless someone flags such a post, there's little the sites, which operate in small, medium and large markets around the country, can do. Critics suspect sellers either don't need them any more because they have found work, or simply want to exchange them for cash so that they can buy drugs or other items that are not permitted under the rules of the program.
"Fraud and abuse do take place in the food stamps program," Rachel Sheffield, policy analyst, Heritage Foundation's DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society said to FoxNews.com. "There are other types of fraud that also are problematic, such as recipients receiving excess benefits by failing to report a new job or an increase in their earnings.
"To reduce this type of fraud, states should be required to cross-check the food stamp rolls against the National Directory of New Hires. Those who have failed to inform the food stamp office of new employment should have their benefits suspended."
Sheffield also suggests that adults recipients should be required to re-certify for the assistance program every three months to help prevent widespread fraud.
Nearly 50 million Americans are on the food stamp program, which has exploded over the last five years, more than doubling the cost to taxpayers. The Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards are issued to needy citizens who qualify, and then replenished each month with buying power. Because the cards do not include a photo ID, a recipient who is looking to sell his or her benefits for cash can simply do so and then report them stolen or lost and be issued a replacement. They could also charge a buyer much more, and never report the card as missing, effectively transferring their entitlement benefits for cash.
In May of 2012, the USDA attempted to curb the practice by giving individual states more authority to investigate residents who request multiple replacements of SNAP and EBT cards. Those who requested more than four replacements in a year would have to explain why they lost cards, and could face being cut off completely.
“The U.S. Department of Agriculture has zero tolerance for SNAP fraud," a USDA spokesperson said in a statement to FoxNews.com. "We recently provided stronger tools to help State agencies—responsible for pursuing recipient fraud—crack down on individuals attempting to sell benefits online. In addition, since 2011, we have worked with online marketplaces, including Craigslist, to better monitor and put a stop to the illegal sale of SNAP benefits. USDA encourages anyone that has information regarding potential recipient fraud to report this information to the USDA Office of the Inspector General or to their State agency.”
With one in every seven Americans on food stamps -- up a million since June of last year -- the impetus to cut down on fraud is rising. According to reports, nearly 850,000 people were investigated for possible SNAP fraud in the United States and 1,200 stores were permanently removed from the food stamp program for illegal conduct.
"Since 2008, the cost of SNAP has more than doubled from $34 billion to $74 billion," according to Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. who said in a recent press release that the Obama administration has allowed food stamp enrollment to explode, even beyond what an ailing economy might account for, in part by not pressing states to crack down on eligibility requirements.
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Scrap the whole program
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Not sure if you're being serious or not, woody but I tend to agree. At least put the food stamps on a card or something that requires an ID to use. The government food program should not be paying for peoples smokes, drugs, alcohol and lottery tickets.
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I am not sure how it is in other states, but I know Ohio uses cards, but sometimes its really weird what you can get. A friend of mine was on it a few years ago, and they had to get x amount of cheese/milk with the card but him and his kid couldn't drink milk(lactose intolerant) so a few times they gave out the cheese to other people, but for them to use the card they had to purchase certain things(milk, eggs etc).
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I am not sure how it is in other states, but I know Ohio uses cards, but sometimes its really weird what you can get. A friend of mine was on it a few years ago, and they had to get x amount of cheese/milk with the card but him and his kid couldn't drink milk(lactose intolerant) so a few times they gave out the cheese to other people, but for them to use the card they had to purchase certain things(milk, eggs etc).
I am not sure how it is in other states, but I know Ohio uses cards, but sometimes its really weird what you can get. A friend of mine was on it a few years ago, and they had to get x amount of cheese/milk with the card but him and his kid couldn't drink milk(lactose intolerant) so a few times they gave out the cheese to other people, but for them to use the card they had to purchase certain things(milk, eggs etc).
Was that food stamps or WIC or is it the same? I think WIC is fine. I have no problem with WIC
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I think it would be a great idea if we had, rather than an open checkbook, a place where people go and get surplus produce. Flour eggs milk cheese fruit vegetables meat etc. Might not be as big a handout as the, ha ha, Farm bill, but it would serve the community better.
I was once actually in line at a grocery store as a woman came up with a big bag of dog food. She was told she couldn't get dog food with food stamps and stomped off only to return with a 10 pound package of hamburger. She told the clerk "he like this better anyway."
WSS
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It's all over, this cheatin the systems designed to help people that NEED it.
http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2013/10/18/2-sc-women-sentenced-for-social-security-fraud/
And the stupid boy scout, who tried for 4 years to get disability, and was on that rock tipping video.
No wonder that this is said to be true:
REPORT: U.S. Spent $3.7 Trillion on Welfare Over Last 5 Years... -
I am not sure how it is in other states, but I know Ohio uses cards, but sometimes its really weird what you can get. A friend of mine was on it a few years ago, and they had to get x amount of cheese/milk with the card but him and his kid couldn't drink milk(lactose intolerant) so a few times they gave out the cheese to other people, but for them to use the card they had to purchase certain things(milk, eggs etc).
Was that food stamps or WIC or is it the same? I think WIC is fine. I have no problem with WIC
Was that food stamps or WIC or is it the same? I think WIC is fine. I have no problem with WIC
You know I don't remember, it could have been WIC....
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The hate for food stamps is ridiculous. Yes, there are pieces of shit like the one you linked that take advantage of the program, however they are greatly dwarfed by the number of people who use it in the way the program was intended. The typical amount given out is ~$200 a month, which is enough for pretty much only shitty food (Mickey D's, etc) for more than one person.
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