New York News Outlet Helps Ulster Mom Retrieve Stolen Funds

A local mom out of Ulster County was devastated when she discovered that her identity was stolen, and hundreds of dollars worth of state deposited funds were missing from her account.

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New Paltz Woman's Bank Card Skimmed at Poughkeepsie ATM

The mom of 3-year-old special needs child Sky from New Paltz, shared with ABCs 7 On Your Side that she receives Supplemental Security Income to help offset the cost of her child's needs, but a few months back, her entire bank account was wiped clean.

Shaniqua Hinton told ABC that $900 a month is direct deposited onto a debit card from the Social Security Administration, but back in February, the money was 'mysteriously missing,' and it seems like it was linked back to a skimmed ATM transaction in Poughkeepsie.

Hinton indicated that she was in Poughkeepsie and ran into a bodega to use the ATM to get cash to get her kids' hair done, and that the ATM 'must've had a skimmer on it to steal the card and the PIN. Before she knew it, her account was cleaned out.'

ABC's 7 On Your Side reported that the scammer managed to change her address from New Paltz to Massapequa, and steal the funds intended to go towards the care of her daughter.

Immediately after discovering the missing funds, Hinton filed a police report and claim, which was denied.

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Ulster County Mom Gets '7 On Her Side' To Retrieve Stolen SS Benefits

After hitting several dead ends, and with the encouragement of her own mother, Hinton contacted 7 On Your Side and got them involved, and they were able to move quickly in returning the funds to her account.

The same day after he called me and said he called them Direct Express and spoke to them the same day the money was on my card. I couldn't believe it. But I knew you could do it. I knew you could do it.

In addition to worrying about the potential of using a card reader with a skimmer on it, these days, the amount of suspicious emails, scam and spam phone calls, and phishing attempts has us all on high alert. Here's some other ways to keep yourself safe in this digital world: