It's impossible to overstate how widespread skimmers are, and how much criminals make by stealing from poor people. Writing for *#Businessweek*, #JessicaFu describes the mad scramble benefits recipients go through every month, standing by ATMs at midnight on the night of the first of every month in hopes of withdrawing the cash they use to pay for their rent and utility bills before it is stolen by a crook who captured their card number with a skimmer:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-06-28/ebt-theft-takes-millions-of-dollars-from-the-neediest-americans

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EBT Skimmers Are Draining Millions of Dollars From the Neediest Americans

The technology that secures EBT cards is woefully outdated, allowing criminals to drain millions of dollars from accounts before the neediest people see a dime.

Bloomberg