Tag Page Neighborhood

The Bodega That Sold Nothing but Cash

The corner store had dusty shelves and expired canned beans, yet its EBT transaction volume rivaled a busy supermarket. How? A customer walks in, grabs nothing, and approaches the counter. The clerk swipes the EBT card for $200. The register beeps. The clerk hands the customer $100 in cash and keeps the remaining $100 as a "fee." No goods ever leave the store. This is called "trafficking." The store owner pockets thousands in profit every month until the data analytics flag the impossible sales volume. When the raid happens, the neighborhood loses its only (albeit corrupt) store. #SmallBusiness #Fraud #Corruption #Neighborhood #Justice