'Unbelievable': Another victim of LINK card theft from another closed store
CHICAGO (CBS) -- At CBS 2, we are always investigating, and this time, it's food benefits for hungry families in need that are just disappearing.
It's a story the CBS 2 Investigators have been tracking for months. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot uncovered one business linked to the fraud on Wednesday, and now she reported on another Thursday.
A mini mart in Humboldt Park is the latest location where charges were made -- leaving a single mother of three with 53 cents in her account.
"Unbelievable," said Maricruz Coronel.
Coronel learned there were no funds on her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits Link card. She was in the checkout line.
"The person told me your card is being declined with no funds," Coronel said.
Coronel logged onto the Link app. Two back-to-back charges had taken place at Nadia Food Mart, at 3641 W. Augusta Blvd., on Dec. 12.
"From a store I have never been around or I have never even heard about," Coronel said.
One charge was $980.71. Another $926.81. The total was nearly $2,000.00. It's not clear how the money was taken. It's also not known if the food mart is connected.
"I wanted to cry," Coronel said. "I felt embarrassed in front of the register, just because I had other people looking upon and they were even shocked when I said I was being robbed through a LINK card."
When we got to the Augusta Boulevard address, we found a padlock on the door. The store has been closed for the past three months, according to neighbors.
It is shuttered just like the store that was linked to fraudulent transactions that CBS 2 did a story about on Wednesday.
"I'm currently in the drafting phase of drafting legislation that will track this type of fraud," said Illinois State Representative Sonya Harper (D-Chicago).
Coronel and two victims CBS 2 interviewed Wednesday had blue cards when their funds were taken. There are newer gray cards that are supposed to be less susceptible to fraud.
There's also a new feature allowing LINK card holders to freeze and unfreeze their cards after every transaction. Coronel hopes something is done to end this fraud soon.
But the newer cards still don't have chips in them like most traditional credit and debit cards do.
In a statement, The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) which oversees Link cards, told CBS 2 it "is always considering best approaches to handling LINK card security. The decision to add a chip to an EBT/LINK card involves many factors such as cost-benefit analysis, State and Federal regulations, EBT contractor technologies, and retailer adoption."
Coronel said that aside from the initial embarrassment, she is still out funds she needs. She is the sole provider for her entire family including her father, Armando. Her father was brutally beaten in the head and robbed three years ago. He's now disabled and relies on a walker.
"I won't have the money to maybe help him out, to have a dinner with my family and my kids," Coronel said. "I counted with that money for food, and maybe having less Christmas presents than my kids would like to have under the tree."
Chicago Police said there's an open investigation into these incidents. While shooting the story on Thursday, a person was parked watching us.
CBS 2 was told by neighbors that person watching us was the store owner. CBS 2 called a number for a person listed as the store president for comment. He denied being that person and quickly ended the call.
IDHS says it is working with federal investigators about these SNAP thefts but wouldn't comment further.
