Authorities are investigating after two credit card skimmers were found on check out terminals at the Family Dollar store on Central Avenue in Albany.
Albany County officials are reaching out to the approximately 500 SNAP recipients who shop at that Family Dollar location to determine how many people were victims and how much money was stolen.
The EBT cards used by SNAP recipients are particularly vulnerable to skimming operations because they use outdated magnetic strips, not tap or chip payments, according to the FBI.
County officials are recommending that potential victims change their PIN numbers and freeze their EBT accounts.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy says the county will make sure any fraud victims are made whole.
"We all know what it's like with the high prices going on, not just in New York State, but around this country," McCoy told reporters on Thursday. "People are struggling, and then someone's out there taking the benefits and taking literally the food off their table that they need to survive."
New York's Office of the Inspector General removed the skimmers and is investigating.
