Businesses would be required to post-consumer warnings for people who use EBT cards in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that their funds could be stolen by fraudsters under a measure that cleared both chambers of the state Legislature last week. 

If signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, the proposal is the latest effort by New York officials to address so-called public benefits "skimming" -- a process that as of last year led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost or stolen funds. 

"Skimming of SNAP EBT cards has been a consistent issue in our communities,” said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, who sponsored the measure with Sen. John Liu. “With this new law, everyone will feel safer shopping and using their SNAP EBT card."

State lawmakers this year had also urged the Hochul administration to provide compensation to fraud victims who had their money stolen. Skimming involves the use of a device installed at retail point-of-sale that captures data on a card and remotely transmits it off-site. 

SNAP benefits during the first several years of the pandemic were supplemented with a minimum additional payment of $95 per household. 

“Skimming and phishing scams target everyone regardless of income or background, even those low-income New Yorkers in need of extra support just to put food on the table," Liu said. "The best way to combat these despicable acts is by making sure the public is informed about how to protect themselves and what resources are available to them should they fall victim."