COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Those who use SNAP benefits often depend on the program for buying food, but some are finding out that it's possible for their funds to be stolen, with no opportunity for reimbursement. While food stamp fraud has been around for a long time, a federal program to reimburse those has been able to help those affected. That just stopped as Congress blocked the program that reimburses people who have had their SNAP benefits stolen. The impacts reach beyond those with SNAP benefits as food stamp fraud causes millions of government dollars to be stolen. “We're talking about single mothers. We're talking about families who need these benefits. These are people who need these benefits to live,” social worker Lakisa Dukes said.  Now, thousands are being targeted and having to find ways to survive without the money they rely on for food. “That's literally all I have to use. So when I went to the store the next day, it was all gone,” 19-year-old Kaiden Bickmeyer who had his SNAP benefits stolen said.   Bickmeyer had his card declined when he went to get food at a store. “It kind of hurt my feelings badly because that's all I had for that week,” Bickmeyer said. He checked his account and heard this message: “A food assistance purchase in the amount of $220.95 was posted on January 7.” The purchase was made at a store in Massachusetts when Kaiden was in Columbus all day. “It happened in September. I was second month into recovery and being in recovery, you need the SNAP,” Christopher Swartzbeck said. Swartzbeck had his SNAP money stolen last year.   “I had plans to go get meat. All the good stuff and I check my card at six in the morning and it was gone,” Swartzbeck said. “As soon as it hit the account, it was gone by somebody in New York.” How Ohio’s next lieutenant governor will be picked The same thing happened to Shadawna Collier. “I was embarrassed for one, because I had a bunch of groceries up at the register. And, you know, I was devastated. I was hurt because, you know, now I am basically out of luck for the rest of the month,” Collier said.   Hours after their SNAP cards were funded for the month, their money was stolen. “They're being victimized because they can't, now they have no food. There's very limited resources right now. So it’s just really frustrating,” Dukes said.  4 Investigates found that in Ohio last year, nearly 27,000 people reported their SNAP benefits stolen, almost $14 million of taxpayer money, gone. Almost 7,000 of those victims were in Franklin County, with more than $3 million stolen.  “When I went to Job and Family Services, they had a specific line for people like they directed people to a certain line that this had happened to,” Collier said.  The federal government did reimburse Collier and Swartzbeck, whose benefits were stolen last year. However, the 2025 American Relief Act does not include money to replace stolen SNAP benefits. Anyone impacted now, like Bickmeyer, won’t get their money back. “I had nothing left once that was gone,” Bickmeyer said.  Both sides in abortion battle angle for Ohio funding Ohio Job and Family Services says the SNAP cards are outdated and an easy target for skimming. That means the card information can be stolen with a device or code criminals put on machines you use to pay. Changing the card to add a chip could prevent fraud, but that change will need to come from Congress. “These people are in a group of population of vulnerable people who are hungry. They don't have time to wait months and months for something to go to the legislative branch, to go through every branch of government. This is an immediate need,” Dukes said. 4 Investigates reached out to Congresswoman Joyce Beatty’s office. She sent a statement saying in part that House Republicans "stripped a key provision from the December stopgap funding bill that would have helped victims recoup their stolen benefits. "Congress must permanently reinstate this provision in the farm bill and continue supporting efforts to improve security for EBT cards so we can end SNAP ‘skimming’ theft for good,” Beatty said. We also reached out to Congressman Mike Careys’ office. They shared it is on their radar. There are a few ways to protect SNAP benefits, including locking and unlocking your card with every purchase. More information can be found here.