What Are FoodShare Benefits?
The FoodShare program is a government assistance
program that oers nutrion assistance to millions
of eligible, low-income individuals and families. This
program is governed by the Food and Nutrion
Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
All Wisconsin FoodShare benets are distributed
onto an EBT card called a QUEST card (pictured
below) on a monthly basis. FoodShare recipients
can use the QUEST card at approved vendors to
purchase approved food items. As with a debit card,
a four-digit personal idencaon number (PIN) is
required to be entered when transacons are made
with the QUEST card.
Common names for FoodShare include:
• QUEST
• Green card
• Food Stamps
• Stamps
• SNAP (Supplemental Nutrion Assistance
Program)
FoodShare Participant Regulations
The recipient is instructed not to share their PIN
with anyone including store clerks. It is against
FoodShare program rules for parcipant to use
FoodShare benets to buy:
• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarees, or tobacco
• Pet food, soap, paper products
• Vitamins and medicines
• Prepared foods or foods that will be eaten in
the store
FoodShare Retailer Regulations
To be eligible as a SNAP/FoodShare vendor, a store
must sell food for home preparaon and
consumpon and meet one of the criteria below:
• Oer for sale, on a connuous basis, at least
three variees of qualifying foods in each of the
following four staple food groups, with
perishable foods in at least two of the
categories:
• Meat, poultry, or sh
• Bread or cereal
• Vegetables or fruits
• Dairy products
• Account for more than one-half (50%) of the
total dollar amount of all retail sales (food,
nonfood, gas and services) sold in the store to
be from the sale of eligible staple foods.
Page 1 of 3
FoodShare & State Law Enforcement
Bureau Investigations (SLEB)
FoodShare Regulations
Page 2 of 3
What Is Trafficking?
Tracking* is dened as the buying or selling of EBT
cards or other benet instruments for cash or
consideraons other than eligible food.
Recipients are prohibited from exchanging FoodShare
benets for cash, drugs, rent, or to use benets to pay
o tabs or other debt; these acons are a form of fraud
called tracking. Currently the OIG Tracking Unit
invesgates allegaons of parcipants tracking
FoodShare benets. If a parcipant is found to have
commied fraud or violated the FoodShare program
rules, he or she will be disqualied from receiving
FoodShare benets for a minimum of 12 months and
possibly permanently.
FoodShare Trafcking & SLEB
What Is Misuse?
Misuse is dened as the use of FoodShare benets
for ineligible purposes or purchases.
Ineligible Purposes:
• Use of a card for a deceased parcipant
• Use of a card for an incarcerated parcipant
Ineligible items include:
• Beer, wine, liquor, cigarees, tobacco
• Nonfood items such as pet food, soap, vitamins,
medicines
• Food items that will be eaten at the store
What Is SLEB?
FNS works with State partners to establish State Law
Enforcement Bureau (SLEB) agreements to conduct
invesgaons into possible FoodShare/SNAP fraud.
FoodShare vendor fraud occurs when the FoodShare
recipient and vendor collude to exchange benets for
cash, drugs or other items that are not approved by
the FoodShare program.
SLEB invesgaons are coordinated by the OIG’s
Tracking Enforcement Unit and conducted by local
law enforcement agencies. Local ocials are provided
EBT QUEST cards to use for undercover invesgaons.
Periodically, SLEB invesgaons also result in the
discovery of other illegal acvies.
Common Trafficking Schemes
• Return fraud: Parcipants use their QUEST card
to purchase eligible items to later return them for
cash or gi cards which are used for ineligible items
(e.g., alcohol or cigarees).
• Bulk tracking: Parcipants purchase large
quanes of one item to sell to stores or bar
owners for resale (e.g., energy drinks, soda,
formula).
• Formula tracking: Parcipants, especially those
without infants, purchase infant formula to resell.
• Benet exchange: Parcipants trade their benets
for cash, rent, recreaonal drugs, etc.
• Benet selling through social media: Parcipants
publish the intent to sell their benets on
Facebook, Craigslist, etc.
*See federal law 7 CFR § 271.2
SLEB Cases
Brown County 2015
A local store owner was found guilty of three felonies for unauthorized use of FoodShare benets and ordered to
pay approximately $130,000 in restuon. The store owner also received addional charges for selling food
without a license and delivery of Cathinone (KHAT). Parcipants that acvely colluded with the store owner were
issued citaons and received an Intenonal Program Violaons (IPV). The store owner was charged criminally and
removed from being a parcipang store in the SNAP program.
Milwaukee County 2018
The Department of Revenue collaborated with the OIG regarding a referral that a local store clerk was exchanging
EBT cards at 50% of their value. The DOR agent conducted eight undercover buys totaling $4,258 in benets. The
store was charged with a felony for knowingly tracking food stamps, ordered to pay restuon to DHS and
removed as a vendor from the SNAP program.
Kenosha County, 2020
In February 2020, OIG received a referral from the Kenosha Drug Operaon Group (KDOG) alleging an owner of a
local convenience store was accepng FoodShare EBT cards as payment for narcocs.
OIG partnered with KDOG on the invesgaon via a State Law Enforcement Bureau agreement. The store owner
was arrested with 11 EBT FoodShare cards in her possession, none of which were hers. Police also discovered that
the owner was selling cocaine from her convenience store and in-home daycare. The store owner has been
charged with 12 felonies as result of the invesgaon.
Page 3 of 3
P-02828 (10/2020)
FoodShare Trafcking & SLEB (continued)