Fraud, Waste, & Abuse Forum: Protecting Mission Integrity

Demonstrating ROI in SNAP Through the EBT Card / Chip Card Use Case

Created by ATARC's Fraud Detection and Mitigation Working Group in September 2026. 

This paper focuses on transaction fraud: EBT card skimming, cloning, and unauthorized account access. It makes the investment case for chip-enabled EBT cards and stronger point-of-sale controls. Application fraud (identity misrepresentation, eligibility fraud, and cross-state duplicate enrollment) is equally important and is treated here as a complementary investment. A complete program integrity strategy must secure both the card and the identity behind it.