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    Interagency Skimmer Response Team Earns Governor’s Awards for Excellence for Protecting Pennsylvania’s Most Vulnerable and Safeguarding Taxpayer Dollars

    First-of-its-kind OSIG and PA DHS initiative prevented more than $4.7 million in SNAP and public assistance benefits from being stolen in 2025, protecting more than 6,500 EBT accounts across the Commonwealth

    August 04, 2026

    Harrisburg, PA – Last week, Governor Josh Shapiro honored eight Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) law enforcement members and two Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) staff for their work on the Interagency Skimmer Response Team with a Governor’s Award for Excellence, one of the highest honors a Commonwealth employee can receive.

    Nearly two million Pennsylvanians rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to keep food on the table. In recent years, organized criminal actors have installed covert skimming devices on point-of-sale terminals to capture Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card data and drain accounts, often within hours, before families realize what has happened. With federal reimbursement for skimming victims no longer available, stolen benefits cannot be replaced and are simply gone.

    Recognizing the scale of the threat, OSIG launched a novel, first-of-its kind statewide initiative in 2025, creating regionally coordinated Skimmer Response Teams (SRTs) that operate in close partnership with PA DHS. Agents from OSIG’s four regional offices received specialized training in skimmer detection, evidence collection, digital forensics, and intelligence gathering, and they meet weekly to share intelligence and coordinate enforcement across regions. When a skimming device is identified, agents immediately seize the device and share its data with PA DHS’s EBT Project Office, which coordinates with additional PA DHS staff and the card processing vendor to identify compromised cardholders and proactively cancel and reissue EBT cards before criminals can strike.

    Receiving the Award from OSIG are Special Agent Supervisors Katy Colón, Maria Lesh, Alexandria Nauman, Jahon Norris, and Kirk Williams, and Special Agents Erin DiOrazio, Andrew Gibson, and Matthew Spitznogle; from PA DHS are Human Services Analyst Supervisor Bryan Bumpers and Human Services Analyst Wentling Holmes.

    “Understanding the urgent need to address skimming across the Commonwealth, the Skimming Response Team attacked the problem head on, understanding what was really at stake: food on the table for Pennsylvania families,” said State Inspector General Michelle A. Henry. “They built something new, they built it fast, and they built it to last, all while continuing to work their existing full caseloads.  Their initiative, skill, and partnership across agencies represent public service at its very best, and I am so proud that they have earned this recognition.”

    “Stealing SNAP benefits is not just a misuse of public resources – it literally takes food away from our neighbors who need it most,” said PA DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “PA DHS and OSIG are working in partnership every day to fight this nationwide challenge and protect Pennsylvania’s SNAP recipients. As we continue to introduce new tools to prevent and stop SNAP theft, I am deeply grateful for this team's work to protect this important resource for Pennsylvanians.”

    In 2025 alone, Skimmer Response Teams seized 18 skimming devices across rural, suburban, and urban communities and prevented more than $4.7 million in SNAP and public assistance benefits from being stolen, protecting more than 6,500 individual EBT accounts. Beyond enforcement, team members conducted in-person outreach at grocery stores and other high-risk retail locations, educating owners and employees on how to identify and report skimming devices. Several retailers identified devices shortly after those visits, preventing theft before it could occur.

    In total, since the initiative launched, SRTs have seized 55 skimming devices and prevented more than $20.5 million in benefits from being stolen and used to fund other criminal enterprises. Over 40,000 individual EBT accounts have been secured.

    Building on this progress, Governor Shapiro also secured $7 million in the 2026-27 budget to modernize Pennsylvania’s SNAP, upgrading SNAP EBT cards from magnetic stripes to chip-enabled cards. Modernizing the Commonwealth’s SNAP EBT cards will strengthen food security in Pennsylvania by using technology to randomize transaction numbers, further protecting SNAP recipients against fraud and theft and preventing benefits loss.

    The Governor’s Awards for Excellence is the highest level of recognition for Commonwealth employees. It is a prestigious and competitive program that honors Commonwealth employees for exemplary job performance that reflects initiative, leadership, innovation, and outstanding public service. The Interagency Skimmer Response Team is among 83 employees from 17 agencies being honored by Governor Shapiro for exceptional accomplishments in 2025.