Shirley Harris told the Denver City Council during public comment on Aug. 11 that her EBT and bank cards were fraudulently charged on Aug. 1 and that she has received no assistance. “I was just scanned on August 1 at a 07:11 for almost $1,500,” Harris said. “There is no help to replace any of the money, the food stamps, nothing.”

Harris said eight people in her building experienced charges from the same 7‑Eleven transaction time and that she filed police reports and contacted the EBT center and Denver Human Services without result. “We did everything we were supposed to do, filed the police report, contact the, the EBT center, contact member human services, nothing,” she said.

Another commenter, Jesse Paris, said he also had been a victim of a scam and offered a tip: some apps allow out-of-state purchases. “You can go about getting scams, loading the Propel app, give you a option for you to allow out of state purchases,” Paris said.

Why it matters: Speakers said fraud affected essential benefits and household budgets, and they urged the city and retailers to do more to protect residents and provide victim assistance.

Details: Harris described being a cancer patient with dietary needs and said the lost benefits left her unable to purchase required food. She said a store manager removed a card reader after she reported the theft but that residents still had not received reimbursement. “In the meantime, we're still suffering. We have nothing,” she said.

Context and limits: These remarks were made during the public-comment period; no council votes or staff directions were recorded in this session. Harris named Denver Human Services and a victim-advocate office as agencies she contacted and said she got no help. Paris said reimbursement policies have changed recently and that year‑to‑year differences affect whether victims are reimbursed.

Next steps: No formal action was recorded on Aug. 11; speakers suggested the council or city agencies consider stronger merchant licensing, better consumer protections, and clearer victim-assistance pathways.