OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A week ago News 4 reported the U.S. House of Representatives had passed an act that extends the time to reimburse stolen SNAP benefits to families until mid-December. Families in Oklahoma and across the nation continue to fall victim to their accounts being cleared by hackers. "They are swiping peoples cards. They're swiping them clean," said Belle Nelson. Nelson provides for her family by being a hair stylist. She gets paid when her clients get paid and it's not always a steady income. She uses EBT to feed her three children. RELATED STORY: Victims of food stamp theft will continue to be reimbursed through December 20 "They eat a lot. They have a really big appetite especially my 13-year-old," said Nelson. "He eats like a grown man." Tuesday morning, Nelson said she used her EBT card at the 7-Eleven near Southeast 29th and Sunnylane Rd. An hour later, two transactions were made nearly 800-miles away in Chicago for $455 and $499. Nelson waited on hold for hours with DHS's fraud department over two days. They answered when News 4 was with her. "Yep, looks like Chicago," said the woman on the phone. "At the Karma Minimart." The only Karma Mini Mart News 4 could find in Chicago just opened up in April 2024. We called the alleged owner to learn if he knew anything. It immediately went to voicemail. Nelson took to Facebook to post about her predicament and within a day, the post was shared more than 800 times. People commented that their benefits were also stolen; with transactions in New York, Pennsylvania, and other places. Nelson said family members didn't have to use their cards before their benefits were stolen. "It's impossible for me to get to Chicago if I use the card in Oklahoma at 8:28. And then the car was compromised and used in Chicago an hour later," said Nelson. In a statement, Oklahoma DHS said in part, "Federal laws require that SNAP cards are able to be used in different states, so that is unable to be blocked." The agency adds, this is happening across the country, not just in Oklahoma. On September 25, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2025, which extends SNAP reimbursement until December 20. DHS told Nelson it could take 10 business days to get her funds returned. "The full amount of what was taken, will that be put back on the card as well?" asked Nelson. "Once they investigate it they will decide and get that back to you. I'll fill the form out, they investigate it." For Nelson, that feels like a lifetime. "What more do you need to investigate?" asked Nelson. Until then, Nelson wonders why scammers would target families like her own. "Why are you hitting us? Why not hit the billionaires? They ain't going to miss it," said Nelson. Below is the full statement from DHS: "Oklahoma Human Services is dedicated to helping our clients protect their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Like all states across the nation, Oklahoma is facing continued issues with all types of card fraud, including fraud relating to credit, debit and SNAP cards. Additionally, federal laws require that SNAP cards are able to be used in different states, so that is unable to be blocked. Oklahoma Human Services continues to actively work with local, state, and federal agencies in their ongoing efforts to address some of the latest benefit theft schemes and is unable to offer comment as it could negatively affect the ongoing investigations. Every state across the nation has been affected by SNAP benefit theft. The Continuing Appropriations Act of 2025, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 25, extends the opportunity for SNAP households to recover stolen benefits until Dec. 20, 2024. It is unclear if this federal program will continue after this date. More than 2,600 total households have had more than $1.4 million in benefits replaced between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 due to skimming, cloning and phishing. While we work with our local, state, and federal partners to apprehend and prosecute bad actors who are stealing from various cardholders, including our clients, we continue to urge our clients to remain vigilant in protecting their benefit cards just as they would debit or credit cards. Card safety tips include: Never share your card information or give your card to someone else. Choose PINs that are hard to guess and never use PINs like 1111, 1234, etc. If you have an easy to guess PIN, change it immediately by calling 1-888-328-6551 or visiting connectebt.com. Download the ConnectEBT app on your Android or Smartphone device. This app allows you to view your available SNAP benefits, lock your SNAP card between purchases, change your PIN, and monitor transactions to ensure that your SNAP benefits have not been stolen. Learn more about ConnectEBT below. Lock your SNAP card between purchases using the ConnectEBT app to ensure you have access to your card only when you need it. Never respond to text messages or phone calls asking for your card information. These are scams! Oklahoma Human Services will NEVER call or text you and ask for your Social Security number or PIN or tell you your card has been “locked” or “placed on hold.” Check the card readers at the checkout counter to ensure they haven’t been tampered with. Use mobile SNAP payments, where available, to reduce the risk for skimming and other fraud. Oklahoma Human Services is also on track to launch chip-enabled cards next summer to increase the level of security for our cardholders. More information on chip cards will be made available as we get closer to launch. The ConnectEBT app can be downloaded on any smart phone device and can also be accessed online at ConnectEBT.com. For assistance logging into your ConnectEBT account, call OKDHSLive at (405) 522-5050." News 4 reached out to 7-Eleven corporate, but we did not hear back.