Talkeetna residents report rise in EBT scams

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Reports of ongoing EBT fraud and card skimming remain an issue for many residents throughout the Mat-Su.

Talkeetna resident Mark Green said the funds for his Alaska Quest card were drained overnight without his knowledge. He remained unaware he had fallen victim to the scam until he went to purchase groceries at his local store.

“I stopped by our local grocery store to grab some things,” Green said. “I used my SNAP card, and it came back as a zero balance, which totally surprised the heck out of me.”

Green is far from the only Valley resident to be taken by surprise. The same thing has been happening to so many people in the area that stores have started posting signs at entrances advising people to check their SNAP balances before trying to purchase groceries.

While reports of the scam seem to be in high numbers currently within the Talkeetna area, it’s anything but new. The U.S. Secret Service issued a press release in August announcing that the agency was partnering with a number of departments, from Anchorage Police to Alaska State Troopers and even the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Alaska.

An outreach operation comprised of the various agencies made contact with 165 businesses in Anchorage, Palmer, Wasilla, Kenai, Soldotna and Seward, according to the Secret Service, distributing educational information regarding EBT fraud and card skimming to help better identify the warning signs of illegal skimming devices in their point-of-sales terminals, gas pumps and ATMs.

“In the past few months, we’ve seen an increase in credit card skimming and EBT fraud in the greater Anchorage area,” Special Agent Glen Peterson stated in the August release. “Our goal is to locate and remove skimming devices before people’s credit card data can fall into the hands of criminals.”

But despite those efforts, the skimming scam continues to be successful throughout Alaska.

What’s worse, Green said, is that virtually no information is being made available to the public.

“When I came across this blurb on the Secret Service website, I thought that to be quite amazing — that it’s out there, but nobody knows about it,” Green said. “This stuff’s happening everywhere, no matter what, and you’re not going to stop it. But without people knowing about it, it just proliferates. It’s going everywhere.”

Alaska’s News Source reached out to the U.S. Secret Service, as well as State Troopers and the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services for updates on the number of reports or if any educational campaigns are ongoing. Responses to those inquiries are still in process.

APD said that while the department participated in the joint task force in August, there has not been another operation since that time.

An APD spokesperson added that anyone living within Anchorage can report fraud to APD’s online reporting system.

Alaska Department of Health’s website offers fraud prevention tips, but for anyone experiencing the same issue as Green, his advice is to stay vigilant and stay persistent.

“Call everybody, keep written records, names of people and numbers you spoke to, times you’ve called and things like that because people make mistakes,” Green said. “I’m not saying you have to accept it ... but you gotta accept that it’s not going to change and do what you can to safeguard yourself.”

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