To report food stamp fraud in Texas, contact the Texas Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. You can file online at oig.hhs.texas.gov/reportfraud, call the OIG Fraud Hotline at 1-800-436-6184, or mail a written report to HHS Office of Inspector General, P.O. Box 85200, Austin, TX 78708.1Office of Inspector General. Your Guide to Reporting Fraud, Waste or Abuse in Texas HHS2Office of Inspector General. Contact Us Reports can be filed anonymously, and if you give your name the OIG keeps it confidential throughout any investigation.
The Three Ways to File
The online referral system walks you through a structured form and gives you a confirmation when you submit. The phone hotline is the fastest option if you want to speak with someone or don’t have all the details written down. Mail works when you want to attach documents or a longer written account.
All three channels accept anonymous reports. Your identity, if you share it, is not disclosed to the person or business you are reporting.
What to Include in a Report
Specific detail is what moves a report from the intake queue into an active review. Before you contact the OIG, pull together whatever you can of the following:
- The full name of the person, or the registered business name of the store
- A physical address for the residence or storefront
- Dates and approximate times you saw the activity, because investigators match these against electronic transaction records
- A plain description of what you observed, such as an EBT swipe traded for cash at a counter, or a conversation about selling card balance
You do not need every item to file. Partial information still helps, especially when multiple people report the same person or store and patterns start to emerge. The online form also has fields for household composition and employer details if you have them.
What Counts as SNAP Fraud
Knowing what the OIG investigates helps you decide whether what you saw is worth reporting. The most common form is trafficking: exchanging benefits for cash, or for non-food items like alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Both the retailer running the swap and the recipient seeking it out are committing federal crimes.
Fraud also covers lying on an application or failing to report changes that affect eligibility. That includes hiding income, leaving a wage-earning household member off the paperwork, or continuing to collect benefits after a job pushes the household over the income limit. For reference, the current gross monthly income ceiling for a household of four in Texas is $4,421, scaling by about $757 for each additional person.3Texas Health and Human Services. SNAP Food Benefits
Unauthorized use of someone else’s Lone Star Card is fraud too, regardless of amount. Under Texas Human Resources Code 33.011, knowingly using, possessing, or redeeming SNAP benefits in any unauthorized way is a Class A misdemeanor when the value is under $200 and a third-degree felony at $200 or more.4State of Texas. Texas Human Resources Code 33.011 – Prohibited Activities; Penalties
What Happens After You File
Your report enters the OIG intake system, where investigators check it against benefit records and transaction histories to decide whether to open a formal investigation. The OIG does not publish timelines, though public records show its Benefits Program Integrity unit processes thousands of cases each quarter.5Office of Inspector General. OIG Recovers Fraudulent Benefits Payments
Privacy laws prevent the OIG from telling you what happens next. You will not get updates on progress or outcome. That is standard procedure and protects the legal rights of everyone involved. If investigators confirm fraud, the case can lead to administrative penalties, repayment demands, or a criminal referral.
What the Person You Report Could Face
Under Texas Human Resources Code 33.011, unauthorized use, possession, or redemption of SNAP benefits worth less than $200 is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $4,000. At $200 or more, the offense becomes a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.4State of Texas. Texas Human Resources Code 33.011 – Prohibited Activities; Penalties Prosecutors can aggregate multiple smaller transactions in a single scheme, which often pushes the total into felony territory. Because SNAP is federal, trafficking can also draw federal charges under 7 USC 2024, with penalties that scale with the dollar amount involved.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2024 – Violations and Enforcement
Even without a criminal conviction, the OIG can pursue an administrative disqualification hearing. A first intentional program violation brings a 12-month disqualification, a second brings 24 months, and a third is permanent. The OIG can also establish an overpayment claim requiring the person to repay every dollar of benefits they were not entitled to.7Texas Health and Human Services. Texas Works Handbook B-910 General Policy
Filing in Good Faith Versus Filing Falsely
A report based on what you honestly believe you saw is protected, even if the investigation finds no fraud. Deliberately fabricating a report is not. Under Texas Penal Code 37.08, knowingly making a false statement material to a criminal investigation is a Class B misdemeanor, up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.8State of Texas. Texas Penal Code 37.08 – False Report to Peace Officer, Federal Special Investigator, Law Enforcement Employee, Corrections Officer, or Jailer The line runs between reporting what looks wrong and inventing details to harm someone.
If Your Own Benefits Were Stolen
The OIG fraud channels above are for reporting other people. If someone drained your Lone Star Card through skimming, cloning, or another method you did not authorize, you are the victim of a theft, and a different process applies. Get a new card and change your PIN through the Your Texas Benefits app, at a local HHSC benefits office, or by calling the Lone Star Help Desk at 1-800-777-7328, then complete Form H1854, Affidavit for Unauthorized Use of EBT Benefits, at your local HHSC office.9Texas Health and Human Services. Lone Star Card Contacts10Food and Nutrition Service. Replacing Stolen SNAP Benefits: State Plan Approvals11Texas Health and Human Services. B-340, Replacing Benefits File the affidavit anyway to create a record in case federal replacement authority is reinstated.