‘A kick in the gut’: Norwood victim of food stamps theft warns others

A Norwood mother who relies on her SNAP benefits to feed her family is warning others after she says her EBT card was compromised and her monthly food stamps deposit was drained.

Mary Barclay filed a police report after a fraudulent purchase of $722 was made with her EBT card at an Illinois store on Sept. 11.

“My role is to take care of my children, and somebody has really thrown a wrench into that,” said Barclay, a single mom who lives with her 10-year-old twins. “Having to survive off food stamps isn’t a fun feeling. We struggle, but having basically half of my income stolen is awful. It is a whirlwind of emotions, and I didn’t know which end was up at that point.”

Barclay, who said she never gave her PIN or her card to anyone, had shopped about an hour earlier at Shaw’s in Norwood with her new EBT card she received from the state over the summer.

The Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), which runs the SNAP program, began sending its clients new, secure EBT cards with chip/tap technology this summer to protect against fraud. Using the chip rather than swiping the magnetic strip can prevent customers’ data from being stolen by skimmers that criminals place on card readers.

DTA has been urging retailers to update their technology to enable chip functionality at their payment terminals.

But Barclay said she has never been able to use the chip at Shaw’s and instead is prompted to swipe her EBT card. While it is unclear how her card was compromised, she suspects it was skimmed.

While Shaw’s did not respond to Boston 25 News’s question about its chip/tap functionality for EBT cards, a spokesperson said no evidence of skimming was found and that the store takes the matter “very seriously.”

“As soon as we were notified of these concerns, we contacted local authorities and immediately took proactive steps to investigate the payment terminals at our Norwood store,” the statement said. “At this time, our review has found no evidence of unauthorized card-reading devices at the location.”

Norwood police confirmed receiving a report of stolen SNAP benefits but said their ongoing investigation also found no evidence of a skimming device nor could they confirm the victim’s card was compromised at Shaw’s.

DTA denounced SNAP benefits fraud in a statement to Boston 25 News and encouraged retailers to upgrade their systems.

“Stealing from individuals trying to feed their families is reprehensible,” a DTA spokesperson said. “Skimming incidents like this are exactly why DTA sent every client a chip and tap ready card to help secure their benefits. We’re one of the first states in the nation to do this. This effort requires not only clients to activate their new cards, but also grocery stores to upgrade their systems to be able to process tap EBT transactions. The more retailers who implement this, the safer our clients will be when grocery shopping for their families.”

EBT skimming has cost DTA clients over $17 million in stolen benefits, and unfortunately for victims, the federal government stopped reimbursing stolen funds in Dec. 2024.

“I was very naïve to this [scam], but unfortunately, I found out the hard way,” Barclay said. “But I want other people to know that this is a serious thing. If you lose [your food stamp benefits], you don’t get them back. And then you’re in the same boat, and you have to wait another month.”

For Barclay, no food stamps for the month means relying on local food pantries and the generosity of friends and family.

“It’s heart-wrenching; it’s a kick in the gut,” Barclay said. “But just a bump in the road. We’ll get through.”

Barclay received a new EBT card from the state and has been using a locking feature DTA recommends while also planning to change her PIN consistently.

DTA recommends the following measures to protect your benefits from scams: Protect Your Benefits From Scams | Mass.gov.

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