A Wisconsin family is searching for answers after receiving what could be a Minnesota food assistance program card in the mail — their worries stem from their personal information being used fraudulently, which could be taking away much-needed dollars from those who need it most.
The Wilsons say they don’t receive too much mail to their western Wisconsin home, but this recent letter caught their attention.
“My first concern, [is somebody] using my name, did somebody else apply for this cash benefit in my name?” Deborah Wilson told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
Aside from not living in Minnesota, Wilson says she didn’t apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Now, she worries it could be legitimate, as it came with a physical card and instructions on how to activate it — but is it the state making a mistake, or are scammers searching for more information from them?
“Why are you sending Minnesota SNAP food benefits to somebody who lives in a different state? That’s very concerning,” Wilson said, adding, “With all the fraud going on, I didn’t know if that’s what it was. If it’s a scam, I have no idea.”
“I’d love to get to the bottom of it because I do work in Minnesota, and this is my tax-paying dollars. And if you’re sending it out of state, who else are you sending it to?” she questioned.
As of the airing of this story Monday night, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) — which oversees Minnesota’s SNAP benefits — had not answered our specific questions sent by email after acknowledging they received them.
We asked DCYF how this happened, how common it is, and what systems are in place to prevent it — as this story develops, we’ll share their response if received.
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