Outrage has exploded online as a number of food stamp scammers have been exposed boasting about their exploits online, breaking the program’s rules and purchasing unallowed items.

Social media videos, originally uploaded by the scammers on TikTok, have been shared by conservatives online as examples of the fraud and abuse riddled with the food stamp program, formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

One woman whose handle is “blackbeauty_235”, boasted of using her food stamp card “for unlimited snacks and drinks.” In another video, she recorded herself unloading a grocery cart with the caption that she’s “swiping my ebt unlimited card. 7 kids yes we eating I’m not payin cash.”

In a shocking video, one woman used her EBT card—which stands for electronic benefits transfer and is used by state and local governments to allow individuals access to monthly benefits—at a Burlington Coat Factory to pay for non-food items. Per USDA rules, SNAP benefits cannot be used for non-food items or services. (RELATED: Ex-Mayoral Appointee Blames ‘White-Only’ Camp for Flood Tragedy Coverage in Unhinged Rant)

In another video, a woman used her food stamps card to access the Monterey Bay Aquarium while an apparently licensed esthetician and business owner filled four grocery carts with groceries and bragged online that “food stamps come in handy.” Posts on X have questioned how someone with their own business can qualify for such a large amount of food stamp benefits.

Republicans in Madison are trying to reform the FoodShare program, the program Wisconsin uses to disburse food stamp benefits. AB 180 would bar FoodShare recipients from using benefits to purchase soda and candy. Rep. Clint Moses (R-Menomonie), lead sponsor of both measures, argues that taxpayers should not subsidize “harmful, additive-filled foods” and wants FoodShare to mirror the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program, which restricts purchases to nutritious essentials. Moses noted SNAP already bans alcohol, hot foods, and non-food items, and said the proposed change would simply promote healthier food choices.

Critics, including UW-Madison’s Judith Bartfeld, warn the move could stigmatize recipients, complicate purchases, and fail to produce measurable health improvements. Bartfeld cited USDA research showing SNAP and non-SNAP households spend similarly on treats and argued that incentives and education, not restrictions, better support healthier habits.

The outrage over fraudulent SNAP benefits comes as the Big Beautiful Bill, recently signed into law by President Trump, includes the expansion of work requirements for “able-bodied adults without dependents.” Critics call these requirements “cuts” to the program and mainstream media has accused Republicans supporting reforms “slash[ing] food benefits for thousands.” In Wisconsin, critics like the state’s Medicaid Director Bill Hanna said the “new red tape” may lead to 90,000 Wisconsinites losing at least a portion of their benefits. 

These reforms do not cut any benefits but do impose work requirements and require states to match federal dollars in the SNAP program, similar to how Medicaid is currently funded. (RELATED: Kamala Harris’ ‘Bacon As A Spice’ Comment Killed Interview, Influencer Says)

In neighboring Michigan, a report detailed the massive problem food stamp theft and fraud has become. Reported food stamp fraud skyrocketed from fiscal year 2023 to 2024 by nearly 400%. Typically, this is done by stealing benefits using card skimmers, which collect the relevant data of an EBT card while it is being swiped at a credit card terminal, and card cloning, which reproduces the illegally collected data on a different card to be used by someone other than the intended recipient. 

In response to that report, Michigan Republicans have introduced legislation to require a photo and signature of the recipient on the state’s EBT card. Stolen benefits are impacting qualified families in many states, including Arkansas where there are reports of those whose cards were stolen and used “within minutes” at locations hundreds of miles away.

Fraud within SNAP is not just a problem at the state level. Earlier this year, the USDA announced one of its employees was arrested and charged with bribery and fraud for coordinating with a number of non-employee individuals to steal millions of dollars of benefits.