Houston Chronicle, May 2026
A growing number of Houstonians are reporting having their welfare benefits stolen to police, part of a nationwide trend that experts say leaves vulnerable people with little recourse when they fall victim. The problem is preventable, experts said – and Texas could do more to stop it. “That money meant a lot,” said Jamie Vaughn, who reported $170 of her benefits stolen – spent at an east Houston corner store after midnight, while she slept. “I depended on that. I don’t make that much money and, even though I split bills with my boyfriend, we ate off that money.”
Hackers in recent years have taken advantage of the fact that most cards containing welfare benefits aren’t yet equipped with chip technology and are thus vulnerable to skimming, said Christopher Bosso, a public policy professor at Northeastern University.
