Federal officials have taken action against more than 40 defendants in a crackdown on food aid fraud, according to Fox News, the Washington Examiner and a Justice Department release.

The Justice Department said its fraud division, 13 U.S. attorneys' offices and the Utah attorney general's office ran the surge from Sept. 1 through Wednesday. The release said the schemes caused nearly $45 million in intended losses. Nearly $42 million of that involved the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

Vice President JD Vance leads a White House task force on fraud. He announced the results Wednesday at the FBI's Cincinnati field office in Kenwood, Ohio, the Washington Examiner reported. "Unfortunately, like with so many of these other amazing programs, we find that there are people out there who decide to commit fraud against these programs," Vance said.

SNAP helps low-income households buy groceries with benefits loaded onto a card each month. A Homeland Security official said in the release that crime rings use card skimmers, stolen identities and fake stores to steal benefits.

One case in the release is an indictment in southern Ohio. It accuses two men who ran Chicago food stores of a scheme using fraudulent benefit card transactions. Prosecutors put the intended loss at about $29.7 million. The charges are allegations, and the defendants have not been convicted.

Fox News reported that the task force says it has now found $641 million in SNAP fraud. More than 1,000 retailers have been banned from the program, Fox News reported.

Recovering money is hard, Vance said in an earlier interview with Fox News. "Once it's gone out the door, it's very hard to get it back," he said.

What we know: The Justice Department says more than 40 defendants face actions tied to nearly $42 million in alleged SNAP fraud.
What we don't: How many of the cases will end in convictions or how much money will be recovered.