PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police detectives are investigating after card skimmers were found at a Shop ‘n Save grocery store in Carrick. The crime cost some shoppers hundreds of dollars in SNAP benefits.
“When I went to check my balance, $380 bucks was gone. $379, they left me $1.60 on it,” said Maryann Reagan of Allentown. “That’s a lot of money. I’m a single person. I rely on that.”
A dollar and some change was all that was left on EBT cards for SNAP benefits when some shoppers realized they’d been hacked.
“I had the whole month of February plus I had a couple extra hundred from the month before. They took all of it down to $1.75,” said Amanda Morgan of Carrick.
Tina Anderson of Mount Oliver was also a victim. She had $750 drained from her EBT card.
“It was unexpected, and it hurt. It hurt,” Anderson said.
All three women last used their card at the Shop ‘n Save on Brownsville Road where police said two skimmers were found on cash registers Thursday night. A store manager reportedly told police one of the skimmers fell off a register. Then they checked all the registers and found a second one.
“I knew it. I knew it,” Anderson said.
Channel 11 spoke with Anderson right after it happened to her. The mom of three boys was put in a tough spot but said she was able to get by with help from family and friends.
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“I don’t get how someone can do that - take your benefits that you feed your kids with,” she said.
Amanda Morgan is also a mom of three who just had a baby a couple months ago. She said $1,100 that she relied on was stolen off her card.
“It just loaded; the same day, they took it all,” Morgan said.
The three women aren’t alone. When Morgan posted a warning about the Shop ‘n Save to social media, she got a couple hundred comments.
“It was multiple people, like 20 to 30 people that were saying, ‘I shopped at Shop ‘n Save in Carrick. That was the last place I went to,’” Morgan said.
To make matters worse, the Health and Human Services Department said those benefits can’t be reissued.
Now, the women have a warning for others before they swipe.
“If you have an EBT card and shop there please change your pin,” Morgan said. “I would hate for this to happen to other people.”
Anderson reported her theft to the police.
“Be careful where you use your card and make sure you check because some people can’t afford a loss like this,” Anderson said.
Pittsburgh police detectives are working to track down who put the skimmers at the store and when.
If you think you’ve been a victim of this type of crime, report it to police so they can investigate.
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