Ms. Kirks, 70, knew that she had saved up a sizable sum in monthly benefits from the federal food assistance program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. To eat, she would buy food through a state program that permitted adults 60 and older, people with disabilities and homeless people to buy discount meals using their food stamps. But the cashier at Albertsons was adamant: Ms. Kirks had only $6 in her account. She immediately called the state agency that oversaw food benefits. The criminals then use the information to create fake payment cards and steal money from victims’ accounts.

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Persons: Jackie Kirks’s, Kirks, ”, creamer Organizations: Albertsons, Assistance, SNAP Locations: Long Beach, Calif