The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is encouraging Arkansans who receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to take steps to secure their accounts.
There are reports of various scams circulating in Arkansas and around the country that aim to trick SNAP recipients into revealing the Personal Identification Number (PIN) that protects their account. These scams also prey upon accounts that use common PINs that can be easily guessed.
It is important that beneficiaries take steps to safeguard their accounts including by setting a unique pin that no one else knows, checking accounts regularly for unauthorized charges, and watching for suspicious devices at card reading machines.
“Stealing SNAP benefits is a terrible crime that targets families in need, and those who perpetrate this despicable act should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Mary Franklin, Director of the DHS Division of County Operations. “We should also make it as difficult as possible for scammers to get away with this, and that means securing accounts and safeguarding PINs. These small steps go a long way toward ensuring funds are safe from thieves and available for the eligible recipient to use.”
SNAP recipients can protect their accounts by calling the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Customer Service line at 1-800-997-9999, following the prompts, and resetting their PIN to a combination that is known to them and no one else. This can help ensure that their account is secure before new benefits are added to the cards, which typically occurs beginning around the 4th of each month. DHS also recommends several other steps to secure SNAP accounts:
• Reset the PIN monthly prior to the 4th when benefits begin to become available.
• Set a PIN that is only known to them and not commonly used. Avoid using easy-to-guess PINs such as 1-2-3-4 or all the same digit, like 0-0-0-0 or 1-1-1-1.
• Keep the PIN a secret. Do not share the PIN with anyone outside the household. Cover the keypad when they enter the PIN on a machine.
• Check their EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If they notice any, they should change the PIN immediately to stop the thief from making any new purchases.
• Check card reading machines to make sure there’s nothing suspicious overlayed or attached to the card swiper or keypad. The overlays can be difficult to detect but are often bigger than the original machine and may hide parts of the machine.
• Never reveal the PIN to anyone. DHS will not reach out via email, social media message, or text to ask for a PIN.
• Avoid adding their EBT card as a payment method for online shopping.
If you have been victimized by a SNAP scammer, you should report the theft to law enforcement. SNAP benefits are federally funded, and DHS is not able to replace lost or stolen funds.
SNAP provides food assistance to eligible households to cover a portion of a household’s food budget, and benefits are distributed through an EBT card. SNAP benefits can be used to buy eligible food items for eating at home. Additional information about the program is available at humanservices.arkansas.gov/u/snap
