One in seven Americans are now on food stamps, re-badged SNAP a few years ago. What. Are. The. Odds that a whole bunch of people on food stamps would commit fraud, both to get on the dole and to then use the dole to generate actual cash?
Those odds are pretty good, according to Fox.
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.
“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.”
It’s pretty obvious what’s happening here. Some are selling their EBT cards for cash that they can use to buy drugs and other things not allowed by SNAP. Others may be frauds from the beginning — identities set up or stolen just to obtain EBT cards, to sell online for cash. What. Are. The. Odds. that some of this involves illegal aliens, too?
Americans who pay taxes are obviously paying for all this fraud.
“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.
It doubled at least partly because the Obama administration has spent the past few years advertising food stamps to middle class Americans who have jobs and own their own homes and cars.
On the bright side, at least the craigslist website works.
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