Big Apple grinches stole “thousands of dollars” of federally-funded food stamps from a Queens senior living center’s residents just weeks before the holidays, according to a charity and the building’s staff.
B’nai B’rith Queens residents were left wondering how they could afford latke ingredients or Christmas ham after thieves sneakily filched Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits this month in a cold-hearted scheme affecting 26 households, according to the apartments’ service coordinator Davia Smith.
“This is the Grinch that stole your benefits before the holidays,” David Greenfield, executive director of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty charity, told The Post.
“$100, $200 may not seem like a lot to me and you, but if you’re on a fixed income and your income is $900 a month … that’s the difference between having breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
It is unclear where the residents were targeted, but Greenfield said crooks often place skimming devices on card-reading machines at grocery stores and delis and that the thieves drained “thousands of dollars” from the seniors’ accounts.
Replenishing stolen SNAP benefits can take as long as a month, Greenfield said. To give the silver-haired B’nai B’rith victims some comfort, the Met Council on Friday dropped off 54 boxes filled with groceries such as canned tuna and other shelf-stabled products, along with 54 boxes each of cleaning supplies and winter clothes.
B’nai B’rith resident Lyudmila Akhtyrchenko, who along with her husband was robbed of $309 in SNAP benefits, shared her gratitude over and over again for the holiday miracle while carrying off her haul.
“We got a new EBT card, that will help us, but we are waiting [for the money to be replenished] and so far nothing,” Akhtyrchenko, 85, said, adding that her daughter has stepped in to cook and host their family’s Hanukkah dinner next week.
Between Dec. 1 and Dec. 19, the city’s Department of Social Services has received 5,543 claims for replacement SNAP benefits, a 30.8% jump from the 4,237 claims during the same period in 2023.
The office of City Councilwoman Sandra Ung, whose district includes B’nai B’rith Queens, said it has received 1,990 complaints about EBT fraud since Aug. 11
“We need real action to make EBT cards more secure, so that these crimes become harder to commit,” said Ung.
“Until we address this issue, thieves will continue to exploit the gaps in our system, and more families will suffer as a result.”
Mitchell Smith, a spokesman for B’nai B’rith, said there had been “an uptick in stolen SNAP Benefits” recently, but noted the building’s management has been educating residents to avoid falling for EBT scams.