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Food Stamp Fraud: Beneficiaries Illegally Sell EBT Cards On Craigslist, Social Media Sites

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November 3, 2013 11:45 PM
 

 

 

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – It’s a welfare fraud scheme costing U.S. taxpayers $750 million a year. People are illegally selling their electronic food stamp cards on Craigslist and other social media sites for cash.

CBS13 found two people here in Sacramento, both with the same idea, using Craigslist as free advertising to blatantly and illegally sell their state benefits.

Our hidden cameras were rolling as a woman, who we’ll call Lorie, told our undercover producer about her brilliant idea to game the system for a quick buck.

“Everyone said I was crazy, but I thought they’d say, ‘that’s freaking brilliant man,’ ” she said.

Another man, who we’ll call Joe, rolled up on a skateboard. He showed us his CalFresh card he illegally put up for sale on Craigslist.

“See, right now it still has $116 on it,” he told our undercover producer.

Rather than use that money for food like he’s supposed to, Joe offered to sell us the card for just $60 cash.

“I just need the money right now,” said Joe. “I moved back in with my mom.”

He promised to give us his pin number so we could use the card to buy groceries in any store that accepts EBT cards.

Joe said stores don’t check for any identification. He freely admits he’s done this before for family and friends. He told us not to worry, because we won’t get caught.

Lorie doesn’t even think what she’s doing is wrong.

“I feel justified in what I’m saying and what I’m doing,” she said.

She would use the cash for a car to get to work.

“I figure it this way: They’re already giving me the money, OK. I’m not making a profit. I’m not burning them. I’m not stealing from them,” Lorie said.

Not by a long shot, says Michael Weston with the California Department of Social Services.

“It’s against the law,” he said.

The CalFresh program is funded by taxpayers and serves more than four million Californians.

The annual cost of food stamp fraud, nationwide, is three-quarters of a billion dollars. People attempting to buy or sell food stamps are breaking the law.

“It’s an issue that we’re aware of. It’s an issue we’re serious about and that we’re monitoring,” said Weston.

The department has started using custom software to scour social media daily — Craigslist, Facebook, Twitter — in search of illegal ads like the ones Lorie and Joe put up.

“We need to leverage technology ourselves in order to keep ahead of these people,” said Weston.

Since monitoring began in February 2012, they’ve found 404 so-called trafficking posts across California. Investigators have uncovered 2,600 examples of people abusing their benefits, costing taxpayers over $20 million.

“The overwhelming majority of individuals are using the benefits in their intended purpose,” said Weston.

But, as our investigation shows, there are those who aren’t.

When CBS13 confronted Joe, he clammed up and denied the whole thing before grabbing his stuff and skating off.

The fraud gives people like Shadayvia Smith a bad name. She relies on CalFresh to help put food on the table for her daughter Alyze.

“We’re able to buy more fruits and vegetables, and more foods like that. It’s a really awesome program,” she said.

Smith is disgusted people would cheat a system designed to help families in need.

“I think that’s outrageous. It’s a program for people that really, really need it. I don’t think you should take advantage of the program,” said Smith. “If you need it, use it, and selling it to others to get the cash is not the right way to go about it.”

When our undercover producer came forward to Lorie about our investigation, she made a complete 180. Before, she was bragging about her plan. After, she was singing a much different tune, saying it was a good thing we caught her trying to cheat taxpayers.

“It’s a blessing; it really is,” she said. “I just know, somehow, this is going to be a good thing.”

Lorie promised to meet us for a sit-down interview, but never did.

There is talk to change food stamp laws, so excessive requests to replace EBT cards can be denied.

The Department of Agriculture says that should help states crackdown against fraud, while still helping people who might often lose their cards — like the elderly and homeless.



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    Total 3 comments
    • YellowRoseTx51

      That’s a HUGE lie. You’re posting the party line propaganda.

      Lets look at the law that was breached.

      This is the legal Financial Security Agreement that was under the 4th Amendment Bill of Right. Under Commerce Law, the for profit corporations had to repay all money taken at the Expense of Life. Under Esoteric law, they created Commerce & Money/Banking systems as governed by the Left Hand Path of SET. This was known and written. The For Profit Status, allowed them to place Profit Concerns over Life Concerns. The Charters for the Incorporation and issue of “Divine Rights, Privileges, Powers” are issued by the Vatican, to the Lesser Nobility (FEDERALS) and governed by Canon 108. That is what the War of Independence was about. We forced the “Merchants & Moneylenders at the Temple” to return that profit.

      When they put the Federals over us, as incorporated governing Bodies, they were allowed to pass ACT’s and BILL’s on the people by issue of “Divine Rights” under the charter which is owned by a single person who is blood related to Queen Elizabeth/Solomon’s line (Canon 108 the “Common Ancestor”) 1917 is when the Altered and Codified both the Canon and the Common Law. An “Act” is defined as a removal of a Right; a “Bill” is defined as money charged to the people, for the corporation Revenue. They were to repay that Revenue, and this is the “National Debt” figure. It is the money the Servicer Corporations, owe to the Public. They were to tax the PERSON, which is the Bond; “Man is exempt from Levy” only the PERSON may be Taxed. The Bonds were seized and are held by the Vatican “Holy S.E.E.” is “Securities Exchange Executor”. The Congress made themselves the Beneficiary, and removed the bonds from public view within my lifetime. This is recent. “Banks lend no bank money, and lost no bank money; they are TRUSTEES under CFR 12″ for the Security of the PERSON. (O.C.C. letter 2005)

      The Corporations and its Servicer branches, were to return that money to the public; they were also to provide the alleged ‘Services’ that we were ‘Billed’ for. Rothschild created the Bills of Exchange ACT in 1917; and revised it to allow for endless double enrichment and theft & counterfeiting of Financial Instruments (Bills & Securities), in B.E.C.A. 1950. Instead, you have the tops of the Corporate Branches, all involved in stealing. Billions of Dollars go to their CEO’s; less than 5% of ANY of the money these ‘Services’ take in, is returned to the public. Under U.C.C. 3-409, governed by the ACT – section 3 – we are allowed to Accept the bills for value. This is further backed by a statute at large, HJR 192; AND vetted by the I.R.S. which is another for profit corporation owned by Northern Trust. Instead the strong arm enforcers will break legs to keep you from doing so. Every time you ‘Accept’ a bill for value, they marked off some of the debt the corporation owed the people on the national ledgers, the ‘debt’ figure. They don’t want that. They breach the debt ceiling, then get us to raise it which allows them to write increasingly larger checks to themselves. If the Congressman bilk your account, in your name, then the I.R.S. wont pay the Bill accepted. “Taxes” – specifically Property Tax Bills – are ‘Remittances’ which is defined as a species of Money. When they charge you cash, they are also cashing the remittance in this back door system as well. Double enrichment; which is illegal. This is why so many Commerce sec’s have been murdered. These a bona fide laws.

      It is one large Company Store System. Rothschild prints the ‘Script’. The “Dollar” is legally defined as a “Debt Note”; legally, it pays off NOTHING. We made counterfeiting illegal because it floods the system, and causes economic collapse. He is printing, what? 80 million a day now? None of which is going to the people, it is all going to their interconnected branches. This is why the system is collapsing. Money is and always was, a large pyramid scheme. As such, when the Company stores got to large, they collapsed.

      Money allowed the first use of “Food as a Weapon”; and this is what you are propagandizing.
      We the people, put ‘Welfare’ in position, for our neighbors, because we were concerned about their welfare. The propaganda machine makes this benign word into a dirty word.

      These people are DEPRIVED.

      And that is what is driving them to cash their food for things that they cant get. For instance, you can’t buy razors. Have you checked the price of razors for 3 young boys? $60+. You can’t buy shoes with food stamps. Kid’s need shoes, and if they don’t have ‘uniforms’ that you have to pay through the nose for, then they are fined at the Schools. It can run up to $500.00 per ticket to the parent. Who may only have $750.00 a month to feed their entire family.

      Now you have the loss of jobs. As all these Corporations who used our securities, our labor, and our materials and land to make their profit, take these jobs over seas where they can have slave labor without any interference. This has forced many onto the benefits programs; deliberately. Now they are going to pull those programs. But they haven’t stopped spending literally BILLIONS of dollars on themselves or their corporate branches. All the power plants are in a state of meltdown, and no money is used for the repair of the infrastructure or the concern of the meltdown of the GE reactors.

      They are extracting our nation with the help of propaganda, like what you just posted.

      • darthvader

        what makes you say that ????

        • Ghost

          Evidence? Facts? Data? Truth? All of These!

          Good work YellowRose

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