7 On Your Side helps single mother get back stolen child support funds
GOSHEN, New York (WABC) -- It sadly happens all too often; thieves hacking debit cards loaded with money for SNAP food benefits and social services. For one Goshen mom, it was like Groundhog Day. Her child support debit card was scammed and drained, only to get hacked all over again. When she couldn't break the vicious cycle, she called 7 On Your Side.
"This card stays with me all the time," said Pasqua Fiore.
As a single mom, Fiore counts on a Way2Go card to receive and spend her lifeline of child support funds for her two boys.
"When the money comes in, I need it. I need it for my kids," Fiore said.
She was using it for groceries when suddenly, a payment was declined.
"They hacked me," Fiore said.
Standing outside the Goshen Police Department, Chief of Police Ryan Rich said, "It's a scam. It's a pretty common scam."
After filing a police report with the Goshen Police Department, the police chief and his detectives investigated. 7 On Your Side obtained the exclusive video showing the crime taking place. The police say the person in the video was caught on camera in a grocery store buying multiple low-priced items and then getting $50 cash back.
"It appears that these cards are being shipped at a location or an address in New York City," said Chief Rich.
The transaction history is pages long - the suspect made the cash back transaction 60 times in a row until all Fiore's child support was gone. In total, $3,495.72.
"You could see they're all done within a minute apart," said Fiore.
Fiore said she acted fast, canceling her card and ordering a replacement. Here's where it gets worse; the criminals managed to get her new card sent to a different address.
"They said they had an alert and it was gonna text me if anybody ever changed any information on me. Never got a text. I waited, it says delivered. But it wasn't delivered to my house. It was delivered to Brooklyn," Fiore said.
Investigators wanted proof of where she was when the debit card was being used, and Fiore had the evidence. She was at her bank, M&T, in Goshen, Orange County, New York. She was at the the teller, in person, at the exact same time the withdrawals were being made in Flatbush, Brooklyn at a register.
Still, the state agency that manages the social benefit wrote "no error occurred" and denied her fraud claim.
"How can I be at the bank in Goshen and be using the card in Brooklyn at the same time?" Fiore said.
After two months with no child support, Fiore said she has no money for her kids.
"Emotionally, it broke me down. I see you guys help so many people and I was really just hoping you guys would take my story," Fiore said.
7 On Your Side contacted the state agency in charge of child support funds and Way2Go. A statement from the New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance states, "OTDA takes seriously any report of theft and will continue to work closely with its child support debit card vendor to ensure custodial parents' funds are protected, any reports of fraud are taken seriously, and victims of theft are reimbursed promptly. New Yorkers can also choose to receive their child support payments through direct deposit into a checking or savings account. More information on direct deposit is available at: https://childsupport.ny.gov/payments/receive."
7 On Your Side also reached out to Conduent, the financial institution that manages Way2Go debit cards. A member of the communications team said, "Protecting cardholders and safeguarding payment programs are the highest priorities for Conduent. We take reports of suspected fraud extremely seriously, and claims are reviewed in accordance with all applicable federal and state requirements. In some cases, additional information becomes available during the review process and is considered as part of our evaluation. Because of privacy requirements, we cannot comment on an individual cardholder's account. We continue to work closely with our government agency clients to help identify and address suspected fraud. Given our strong track record of processing government payments, we remain committed to protecting cardholders through rigorous security, privacy, and fraud prevention practices."
One day after contacting everyone involved, Fiore got her $3,500 back in her account.
"I got my money back! Thank you so much, this nightmare is over. You guys are amazing, what you do is amazing," Fiore said.
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