Report: Over $600 Million Stolen From SNAP Benefits in 2025

Propel, an EBT benefits tracking program, found widespread theft from SNAP cards, leading to hardship for low-income families.

Apr. 10, 2026 at 8:22pm

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A minimalist illustration composed of overlapping geometric shapes in shades of blue, red, and yellow, conceptually representing the complex issue of SNAP benefit theft and the need for improved safeguards.A conceptual illustration highlighting the vulnerability of SNAP benefits to theft and the need for stronger security measures to protect low-income families.Washington Today

According to a new report, about $607 million was stolen from EBT accounts used for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2025. The report by Propel, an EBT benefits tracking company, found large-scale theft of SNAP benefits, with 56% of affected households skipping or reducing meals and 43% going into further debt as a result.

Why it matters

The theft of SNAP benefits, which provide critical food assistance to low-income families, highlights the vulnerability of the program to fraud and the hardship it can cause for recipients. The report comes as the federal government has sought to aggressively pursue fraud in SNAP, raising concerns about the balance between program integrity and access to vital nutrition aid.

The details

Propel found that much of the theft occurs when criminals install secret card readers on EBT terminals to steal benefit information. The report found 18% of households had their benefits stolen in the last year, down from 27% in 2025, but the sums stolen were larger, with 64% of households losing more than $250 and 32% losing over $500. To combat the theft, some states have implemented chip-based EBT cards, which Propel found reduced theft rates, while others have encouraged measures like card locking and blocking out-of-state transactions.

  • In 2025, California became the first state to implement chip payments on EBT cards.
  • The report found a drop in EBT theft from 19% of users before chip payment to 8% after implementation in California.

The players

Propel

An EBT benefits tracking program that conducted the report on SNAP benefit theft.

Jimmy Chen

The founder of Propel who spoke about the findings of the report.

Brooke Rollins

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture who has criticized the SNAP program as "rife with waste, fraud and abuse" and called for measures to reduce reliance on it.

JD Vance

The Vice President who led the White House Fraud Task Force to tackle issues across SNAP.

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What they’re saying

“This is a case that is a little bit distinct from other kinds of national conversations around safety net programs. It's actually finding criminals and getting them to stop this.”

— Jimmy Chen, Founder of Propel

“Chip cards are definitely the long-term play to reduce EBT fraud and theft. California has demonstrated what implementing chip cards can do to reduce EBT theft.”

— Jimmy Chen, Founder of Propel

“Families do worry about this issue, it's a big deal. We've got a lot of work ahead of us to make it something that people don't have to worry about.”

— Jimmy Chen, Founder of Propel

What’s next

Propel is in talks with state governments to build a pilot program that tracks suspicious SNAP transactions and classifies them as fraudulent, in an effort to better protect SNAP benefits from theft.

The takeaway

The widespread theft of SNAP benefits highlighted in this report underscores the need for stronger security measures and fraud prevention efforts to ensure low-income families can reliably access this critical food assistance program. While some states have taken steps like implementing chip-based EBT cards, more work is needed to safeguard SNAP and restore trust in the system.