Man tries to sell his friend’s food stamps on Facebook

7/10/2014

Created: 07/09/2014 9:59 PM
By: Danielle Todesco, KOB Eyewitness News 4

As you post pictures of your kids or your latest vacation on social media sites, some people are using them to sell their government benefits.

KOB Eyewitness News 4's Danielle Todesco found a guy trying to sell his friend's food stamps on Facebook.  Todesco took that screen shot to Matt Kennicott at the New Mexico Human Services Department.

Kennicott says they will hand it over to their investigators.  He says this is a growing problem and their investigators with the Office of the Inspector General have to scour social media sites like Facebook and Craigslist for this fraud.

"These are benefits that are supposed to be helping people that are in severe need of help, and anytime that these benefit cards are sold, it really takes food off the table of people who need it the most," Kennicott said.

The consequences for selling food stamps range from temporary removal from the program to hefty fines and jail time.

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