Queens, NY – Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D, WF-Fresh Meadows) and State Senator John Liu (D-Queens) were joined by community organizations, the 111th Precinct, and constituents to announce their legislation that has passed with bipartisan support. The legislation would require local businesses to post consumer warnings of potential skimming of SNAP EBT cards (A4023/S6088). The bill now awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s approval.

“Skimming of SNAP EBT cards has been a consistent issue in our communities,” said Assemblywoman Nily Rozic. “With this new law, everyone will feel safer shopping and using their SNAP EBT card.”

State Senator John Liu said, “Skimming and phishing scams target everyone regardless of income or background, even those low-income New Yorkers in need of extra support just to put food on the table. The best way to combat these despicable acts is by making sure the public is informed about how to protect themselves and what resources are available to them should they fall victim. The prevalence of EBT card skimming shows that we need to do more to protect personal data at the point of sale. Thank you to Assemblywoman Rozic for championing this legislation in the Assembly, and we call on Governor Hochul to sign this important public notice into law so that all New Yorkers can be appropriately armed with the information they need to keep themselves safe.”

Mohini Mishra, VP Senior Communities, Selfhelp Community Services said "Selfhelp Community Services thanks Assemblywoman Nily Rozic and State Senator John Liu for their legislation that will address occurrences of SNAP/EBT skimming by requiring notices to be posted publicly about this fraud. We know that older adults can become victims of this common scam and are supportive of any measures to reduce financial crimes. We look forward to continuing to work together to protect our older community members and help people live with dignity.”

“At AAFE’s offices in Queens and Manhattan, we hear from a growing number of community members who have unfortunately been victimized by EBT card scams,” said Thomas Yu, Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality. “So we are grateful to Senator Liu and Assemblywoman Rozic for championing this common sense legislation. We look forward to working with our partners in government and the nonprofit sector to raise awareness about this issue and put a stop to EBT card skimming.”

The legislators added, consumer warnings are an essential preventative measure. This legislation is just one part of the legislators’ efforts to aid impacted constituents. Other measures have included refunds of lost funds.