Data insights: May 2026 EBT theft trends

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Key findings#key-findings

• EBT theft is on the rise in 2026. The theft rate has increased three out of four months this year. April’s theft rate was 40% higher than January’s.
• Arkansas reached its highest theft rate on record (0.51%), with theft concentrated in the Little Rock area.
• Indiana’s theft rate more than doubled from March to April (0.17% to 0.38%), the largest single-month increase of any state.
• New Jersey’s skimmer network remains the largest in the country, with 100+ suspected skimming locations at specific retail locations across northern and central New Jersey.

Propel’s theft detection capabilities#propels-theft-detection-capabilities

Propel serves over 5 million EBT cardholders nationwide who use our app to manage their benefits every month. We analyze transaction and customer-reported data to identify emerging theft patterns through a two-step detection process. First, we identify retailers with unusually high rates of transactions flagged as "unrecognized" by Propel users. These are retailers where stolen benefits appear to be drained or liquidated. Second, we identify skimmer locations by analyzing victims’ shopping patterns in the 8-12 weeks prior to their card being liquidated.

Our insights are intended to provide a snapshot of emerging trends in EBT theft. We generate these analyses early in the month, when theft activity typically peaks following SNAP benefit deposits. Our data reflects real theft activity, but may show a slight upward bias since cardholders are more likely to check the app after experiencing theft. Given the rapidly evolving nature of EBT theft, our insights represent a current snapshot rather than a comprehensive assessment.

Recent theft patterns and spikes#recent-theft-patterns-and-spikes

Theft rose sharply in several states in April, matching the national increase in theft. Arkansas reached its highest level on record, with theft concentrated in Little Rock. Indiana’s theft rate more than doubled since March, but few victims can be tied to retail skimmers. New Jersey continued to see widespread skimming through specific retail locations.

Theft is consistently increasing for the first time since 2024#theft-is-consistently-increasing-for-the-first-time-since-2024

As of this month, we can be confident in the upward trend in theft. The increase didn’t start in earnest until January 2026; December 2025 looked like an increase, but this was caused by November 2025 theft suppression due to the shutdown’s deposit unpredictability.

So far in 2026, the theft rate has increased three out of four months. April’s theft rate was 40% higher than January’s.

New York is one driver of this spike. Though it wasn’t in the top 8 by theft rate, increases in New York theft have an outsized impact on the overall percentage of users experiencing theft due to the state’s large population. Increased New York theft is concentrated in New York City.

Arkansas theft reached unprecedented level in April#arkansas-theft-reached-unprecedented-level-in-april

Arkansas’s unrecognized transaction rate climbed to 0.51% in April, up from 0.36% in March and 0.20% in February—a sustained, two-month rise to the state’s highest level recorded.

Theft is elevated in multiple areas when compared to surrounding states. However, theft was particularly high in the Little Rock area: 6.2% of users in Pulaski County (Little Rock area) marked a transaction unrecognized vs. 3.7% in White County, the next-highest large county.

Skimming is a likely mechanism for Arkansas card compromise based on the single-county concentration. However, no high-volume skimmers could be identified.

Indiana theft jumps with no clear retail skimmers#indiana-theft-jumps-with-no-clear-retail-skimmers

Indiana’s unrecognized transaction rate more than doubled from March to April (0.17% to 0.38%), the largest single-month increase among any state in this period. This elevated rate appears to be continuing into May.

Despite the magnitude of the jump, no skimmers could be identified. The geographic pattern also doesn’t match a statewide processor compromise: theft is somewhat elevated across most counties but doesn’t show the sharp at-the-border step typical of statewide compromises.

New Jersey skimming activity remains widespread#new-jersey-skimming-activity-remains-widespread

New Jersey’s theft rate fell slightly from March, but the absolute volume of compromised cardholders remains high: 1,895 EBT cardholders were liquidated in April and early May. Higher theft rates are concentrated in northern and central New Jersey.

A large share of defrauded New Jersey cardholders had previously shopped at stores identified as likely skimming locations. There are 100+ stores with high rates of skimming activity spread across northern and central New Jersey.

Ongoing support#ongoing-support

Propel is committed to supporting state and federal agencies in protecting SNAP recipients from EBT theft. For questions about our methodology or further analysis, please contact gov@propel.app.