A shocking new scheme is emerging on social media: teaching welfare recipients to cheat the food-stamp system. In a recent broadcast, a conservative commentator exposed activists “teaching people how to cheat and steal” — instructing them to use government-issued SNAP cards to grab high-end items. Even more brazen: those same voices threaten that cutting off benefits will unleash looting in the streets.
The truth is frightening: someone online is showing poor Americans how to game the welfare system. Tips range from pairing EBT cards with cashback tricks to treat oneself to luxury groceries or gadgets. Jeans or steaks fine enough for Whole Foods—these are the so-called “luxurious items” now within easy reach for fraudulent benefit claims. In essence, a new black market mentality is being encouraged: don’t earn it, just swipe it.
Conservative voices are rightfully outraged. These influencers aren’t advising struggling families on how to secure jobs or education — they’re coaching them on outright theft. The language is blunt: “She’s online telling people how to cheat and steal,” one commentator said flatly. No qualifiers, no excuses. If new cash-strapped Americans rely on this corrupt counsel, the legitimacy of every honest welfare recipient is dragged into the mud.
Welfare fraud is no small matter. Today, over 40 million Americans rely on SNAP food stamps at a cost of roughly $100 billion per year. Every dollar pilfered is a dollar lost from hungry families who legitimately need help. Calling theft by any other name is still theft. And yet we hear people nonchalantly saying, “No harm done.” This new “guide” on social media declares it’s fine to treat taxpayer funds like a free-for-all personal shopping spree. That sentiment alone is dangerous.
The plot gets darker. The same activists who preach stealing are now fostering outright intimidation. They warn that slashing welfare benefits will light the fuse of violence: “If you lose your food stamp benefits, then we’re just going to see looting,” they boast. Make no mistake: that’s not a harmless quip. It’s a threat, plain and simple — a bold attempt to blackmail lawmakers and honest citizens. It’s intimidation dressed up as populism, suggesting that removing one’s handout could boil over into lawlessness.
America can’t look the other way. We do care about poverty and help for the needy — but the solution is not to teach theft or stand by threats of riots. Enabling fraud and pandering to fear only undermines the social safety net entirely. Law-abiding welfare recipients will rightly feel betrayed by this cynicism. Taxpayers will burn to hear that their money was funneled into this stunt. And families who actually need food finally crunching budgets will see this betrayal as salt in the wound.
It’s time for leaders to act with resolve. First, we must tighten oversight: stop fraud schemes before they spread. Retailers and states should double-down on preventing EBT abuse. Second, politicians need to call out these schemes. Name and shame the troublemakers teaching theft, and cut off their platform. Third, rather than bow to blackmail, honest reforms must go forward. If anything, welfare programs should stress responsibility along with assistance: tax funds are equalsided with obligations, not entitlements to guiltless excess.
This is a watershed moment. The shamelessness of those teaching people to cheat is a red flag that we cannot ignore. They’ve taken one of the most vulnerable institutions — taxpayer-funded food aid — and turned it into a PPP (Progressive Pretty Precious) target, all while threatening the public. Our response must be equally clear and direct: Welfare is for the needy, not a field trip for luxury shopping. If someone loses their benefits, the answer is not “looting” but personal accountability and real opportunity. We should stand firm, support honest families, and stop this nonsense in its tracks.
