Police investigating reports of EBT card theft in Worcester

WORCESTER — After some customers complained that their electronic benefit cards had been skimmed and balances stolen after they had visiting Gala Foods in Main South, the grocery store is working to assure customers that their safety and security are top priorities.

The supermarket, at 664 Main St., said the issues do not arise from its store.

Police are investigating reports of EBT/debit card fraud in recent days, but a spokesperson said victims cannot be certain of the place where their information was scanned. A spokesperson for the state agency in charge of benefits had no records of specific complaints of fraud at the Worcester store in the past couple of days.

The Department of Transitional Assistance spokesperson said tracking fraud claims to a specific location can be difficult. Typically, two weeks pass from the time the information was stolen until the time it is used fraudulently.

On Dec. 19, a team from DTA’s Program Integrity department visited Gala Foods in response to some complaints from early December, the spokesperson said. The team spoke with the store manager about how skimming happens and what to look for to be proactive. They discussed the types of devices used to copy card numbers and how to check periodically for such devices.

Social media posts have circulated on Worcester Facebook pages warning residents about using electronic cards at Gala Foods.

Gala Foods, previously known as Compare Foods in Worcester, is a specialty supermarket chain that is popular with the Latino community. Owner Aurora Grocery Group has 24 supermarket locations in five states.

Gala statement

Gala Foods published a statement about the reported incidents on its Facebook page for the Worcester location Jan. 10. The original post is in Spanish and was translated to English:

"We understand there have been concerns about EBT funds and credit card scams in our area. It is essential to clarify that our business has been proactive in ensuring the safety of our systems. We perform daily checks and have worked closely with the city and our POS company to verify the absence of any card cloning devices at our establishment. In addition, we have thoroughly reviewed past transactions related to customer complaints, confirming that these issues did not arise from our store. We deeply regret any inconvenient matter caused. We urge everyone to stay alert about where you shop, as cybersecurity threats are frequent. Your trust and security remain our top priority."

Gala Foods did not return a request for further comment Wednesday.

A spokesperson said Worcester police had received three calls of debit card/EBT fraud where customers believe their information was obtained at Gala Foods but could not be certain: one Jan. 10, one Jan. 13 and one Jan. 14. Police are investigating.

In an interview, Jasmelin Martinez of Worcester said her EBT card information was skimmed and her account cleared Jan. 13. She said her sister had a similar experience in late December.

On Jan. 13, Martinez said, she went to Gala Foods to go shopping. She said she swiped her EBT card and put her PIN number in and immediately saw that she had insufficient balance.

Martinez said she called the Department of Transitional Assistance and the agency told her there was five instant transactions out of California around the same time as she had tried to use her card at the supermarket.

Customer: No electronic payments

Martinez said she shops at the supermarket about once or twice a week, because she likes the meat selection. It is a five-minute walk from her home. She added others have told her similar incidents had happened with their benefits after shopping at the store.

"I'll still probably go in there, but I would never use any kind of electronic payment in there," Martinez said.

Martinez said she did not report her case to police because she knew the Department of Transitional Assistance was responding.

Martinez, who has a teenage daughter, said she has no food in her house and expects it to take about a month to replace the lost benefits.

"I work full time, I'm a single mother, and it really hit me hard. I have to scrounge for money, I have to ask my mother to buy me groceries," Martinez said.

In a statement, the Department of Transitional Assistance spokesperson made recommendations for clients to protect themselves.

"We encourage people to be vigilant while using their EBT cards to make purchases," the spokesperson said. "There are some easy things you can do to help keep your information safe: Examine card readers before swiping your EBT card to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with, and protect your Personal Identification Number (PIN) by changing it frequently. The most important thing is to keep your information safe: Never provide personal information, EBT card number, or PIN to unidentified callers or to links sent via text message or email.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Investigation underway after reports of EBT skimming in Worcester