...charged with taking credits from someone else's food stamp account. All four were employees of the IGA grocery store. Prosecutors say the four used a customer's food-stamp account number to buy groceries. Police said Jessica Denequia...

...and stored in Indivos' database. The customer also registers a bank account, credit card, debit card or even food-stamp account and a seven-digit number, like a phone number which will be used to help pinpoint that fingerprint's location...

WASHINGTON -- People using electronic food stamp accounts could obtain groceries in every state under legislation that passed the House on Monday and goes to President Clinton for his signature...

...There also will be less chance of fraud because food stamps will no longer be available for sale on the street. The food stamp account can only be debited from a grocery store, and clients cannot use that account for nonfood purchases.

...instead of groceries. The state began using the EBT cards - which are like debit cards and are linked to a virtual food stamp account - in 1994. But even with instances of trafficking, Ms. Verenes said, the "percentage of fraud has gone down...