(305 ILCS 5/12-4.58) Sec. 12-4.58. Stolen SNAP benefits via card skimming; data collection and reports. (a) As the State administrator of benefits provided under the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Department of Human Services shall track and collect data on the scope and frequency of SNAP benefits fraud in this State where a SNAP recipient's benefits are stolen from the recipient's electronic benefits transfer card by means of card skimming, card cloning, or some other similar fraudulent method. The Department shall specifically keep a record of every report made to the Department by a SNAP recipient alleging the theft of benefits due to no fault of the recipient, the benefit amount stolen, and, if practicable, how those stolen benefits were used and the location of those thefts. (b) The Department shall report its findings to the General Assembly on an annual basis beginning on January 1, 2024. The Department shall file an annual report no later than the 60th day of the following year following each reporting period. A SNAP recipient's personally identifiable information shall be excluded from the reports consistent with State and federal privacy protections. Each annual report shall also be posted on the Department's official website. (c) If the Department determines that a SNAP recipient has made a substantiated report of stolen benefits due to card skimming, card cloning, or some other similar fraudulent method, the Department shall refer the matter to the State's Attorney who has jurisdiction over the alleged theft or fraud and shall provide any assistance to that State's Attorney in the prosecution of the alleged theft or fraud.(Source: P.A. 103-297, eff. 1-1-24; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24.) |