BUTLER, Pa. — Patricia Cornetti found out her EBT card funds were drained earlier this week after she shopped at the Dollar General Market on Saturday.
“I was physically and mentally sick,” Cornetti said.
She should have had her full benefits, as it was the start of the month. Instead, she said the alleged scammers took everything.
“They drained $270 off my account,” Cornetti told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek.
She’s not alone. The Butler City Police Chief told Channel 11 his department received at least a dozen complaints as of Wednesday afternoon.
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Many of them live at the Terrace Apartments, where Cornetti lives. The DG Market is just two blocks away.
“Me? I’m capable of walking, but there’s a lot of people in here who are not capable of walking,” Cornetti said. “They have wheelchairs, they have disabilities.”
Now, the question for so many is, what are they going to do for food?
“There’s no way I can get through the month on social security without the food stamps,” Rick Berry said.
“There’s no way what we get at a food bank — because you’re only allowed there once a month — and a little cart full isn’t going to last all month,” added Brenda Vantine.
Butler Police did not find a skimmer at the store.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and Governor Josh Shapiro’s Office are aware of the incident.
However, because the EBT program is federally funded, there’s no way to reimburse the stolen funds. The federal government stopped doing that in 2024.
These three victims said that has to change.
“They need to do something about this immediately,” Cornetti said.
Channel 11 learned Thursday that the machine the Butler County Assistance Office uses to make replacement EBT cards broke on Wednesday. The DHS said they will be getting a new one Friday. Cards that were compromised can be replaced free of charge.
For immediate food needs, Pennsylvanians can call 211 or visit https://www.pa211.org to find local food banks and other food assistance programs. Individuals in need can also visit pa-navigate.org for help finding food and other resource assistance.
If SNAP benefits are stolen from an EBT card, that theft should be immediately reported to local law enforcement and to Office of State Inspector General by calling 1-800-932-0582. If an individual’s benefits are stolen electronically, they should request a replacement EBT card as soon as possible from DHS’ EBT contractor, Conduent, at 888-328-7366, or by visiting a DHS County Assistance Office.
SNAP recipients can easily report their EBT card as lost, stolen, or damaged and request a replacement card right from the ConnectEBT mobile app or the ConnectEBT website, and can also use this feature if their card was compromised by a skimming device or other electronic theft measure.
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