Card skimmer at Los Lunas Smith's stole food stamp benefits from hundreds, officials say

Shoppers from almost 500 households who used one of the self-service kiosks at the Los Lunas Smith’s Food and Drug store may have been victims of food stamp fraud, the state Human Services Department said on Thursday.

In the last week, the department began receiving reports that people were missing electronic benefits transfer card funds. The department later learned that all of those households had used a self-service kiosk — fitted with a card skimmer, a device that steals card information — at the Smith’s at 2580 Main St NE in Los Lunas.

In all, the department estimates benefits were stolen from 488 households, but spokesman Tim Fowler said HSD doesn’t yet have a firm number on how much was taken.

The card skimmer had been on the kiosk for about a month before it was discovered on June 22.

“It’s unconscionable that anyone would steal food out of the mouths of the most vulnerable New Mexicans,” Acting Human Services Secretary Kari Armijo said in a news release. “The sad truth is card skimming can happen to anyone who uses a credit, debit or EBT card, including (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) customers.”

“We are doing all we can to restore the food benefits of our customers as quickly as possible,” she added.

The Smith’s has been informed of the incidents, HSD said in its release. Calls and emails the Journal made to the store and its corporate affairs office Thursday afternoon weren’t returned.

Fowler said the department didn’t know who installed the card skimmer.

HSD aims to restore all benefits within 10 days of customers reporting potential thefts and providing additional information to substantiate those claims, Fowler said. But the first thing people should do, he added, is change their PIN numbers so no more benefits can be stolen.

“It’s a big, important issue to our customers, and we’re doing everything we can to have all necessary processes in place and staff ready to assist,” he said.

Customers must contact HSD — including by calling 1-800-283-4465 — within 30 days from the day they believe they had benefits stolen from them, the department said in its release.