SNAP Scams Exposed: From Spam Cases To Soda Swaps - How Taxpayer Dollars Fuel Fraud Across America

Posted • October 28, 2025: I think most of us are aware of the fraud surrounding SNAP or really any entitlement program in the United States. I was surprised at the sheer scale of our SNAP program when it was revealed this week over 40 million people in American use the program. That's a lot of people. I took it upon myself to start learning about what people actually do with the SNAP monies, other than buy food, and it's been eye opening to say the least. —— Shipwreckedcrew @shipwreckedcrew: “EBT Story: Very common in Hawaii. EBT recipients go into grocery stores on first day of the month and buy Spam by the case. Some stores limit the number of cases any one person can buy. They take the Spam to "Mom & Pop" vendors, some street vendors and some with rundown storefront operations in poor neighborhoods. The vendors buy the Spam at a 50% discount because they use it in so many preparations. The sellers the use the cash for drugs and alcohol. Between the 3rd or 4th day of the month, and about mid-month, it is hard to find Spam on the shelf of stores in poor neighborhoods.”

On the mainland, they have a whole other scheme. Once the food stamp program stopped using paper coupons, people could no longer sell them for cash. They've found a workaround, apparently. —— Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes: “More Americans exposing the truth about the SNAP EBT Program. “The real reason why a lot of people are upset about this whole food stamps snap benefit thing, bro, is because they're selling their food stamps. They're selling them. I'm telling you, they are selling their food stamps. You know how many people in New York and other states right now are going to the corner store, the deli, and they're selling their food stamps” - “That's why they're getting like $4,000 - $3,000 in food stamps, and they're selling it for cash. They'll get $4,000 in food stamps and they'll just take like $1,000 in cash. Like bro, like that's happening like everywhere. That's why they're mad.” - “They will never admit to selling their food stamps. But it's happening.”” —— Maybe it's time to listen to the stories people are trying to tell.

Damian Ranger @DamianRanger1: “Here in downtown Portland they buy bottled water with their food stamps (SNAP), pour out the water, return the empty bottles for cash, and then buy their fentanyl drugs.” —— Remember when homeless drug addicts in Oregon were using EBT/Snap to buy cases of bottled water and then dumping them out to collect the deposits on the bottles? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C7E61-1Yyg —— Don't forget all the vendors selling plate lunches on the side of the road on the west side. All the ingredients (rice, mac salad, BBQ chicken, kalua pig, etc.) bought with the families EBT funds and converted to cash. Nothing like using the generosity of the American taxpayer to fund the materials for your small business. In Appalachia it's soft drinks.

Eric W @artsPMP: “The most common ploy around here is that a card-holder goes into the grocery *with* a person that is willing to pay 50% of the card value. The buyer tells the card-holder what items to put in the cart, and after checking out, the buyer hands over the cash and takes the cart with the groceries. Often, the same people do this every month. There is almost no way to track this or shut it down. Some people need cash faster, so they sell the cards directly to dealers ... but that eventually gets shut down and they lose their benefits.” —— ♧²M⁰C²C⁵♧ @MDot_Cartier: “They buy soda and redbull here in Massachusetts with EBT then sell it to bodegas for half off. Some dealers will take EBT too here, probably there too. I have no idea what they pay, but I'd wager it's less than the bodegas pay.” —— All across America, the crooks are so creative.

Dust @_OneofDust_: “In my state many (not all) max out the biggest cuts of meat straight from the butcher, go home and put it on the grill and sell plates in their neighborhoods. It’s just a business.” —— Nice work if you can get it. I love that they show a picture of fruits and vegetables on a story about SNAP when I have never in my life scene someone buy an apple with a SNAP card. https://x.com/SenatorBaldwin/status/1982577018178085053 —— Breaking News on the SNAP Scam: Note most of the people on food assistance are illegals / foreigners. For every dollar spent by SNAP recipients, they receive matching funds so they get to spend double of the original intent of the federal program. The States match dollar for dollar. The problem, the money the States use to match comes from the federal government. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/G4YBI0rWYAAyiaP?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

Americans are generous people. We don't want to see children and the elderly starving. We don't want to see the vulnerable hurting. Unfortunately, people with bad intentions are ready to take advantage of that kindness and that is why there has to be accountability. As it is, people in America are suffering themselves and they need to keep as much money as they can. It's time to say enough is enough.