LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) has launched a new section on its website devoted to preventing SNAP fraud after an increase in reports of electronic scams that aim to steal benefits from families in need.
This new resource, which is available at ar.gov/snapfraud, includes a series of preventive tips that SNAP recipients should follow to help protect their accounts as well as a new form where victims of SNAP fraud can report stolen benefits to DHS. While DHS is not authorized to replace lost or stolen SNAP benefits, this new centralized resource where all fraud reports can be submitted will help identify trends that may be helpful in the ongoing investigations into these crimes. Victims are encouraged to also report any fraud to law enforcement.
DHS is working with state and federal partners as well as the current Arkansas Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card vendor, Conduent, to explore ways that SNAP accounts can be protected from future fraud attempts.
“We are continuing to support all efforts to bring the perpetrators of this fraud to justice and to ensure that SNAP accounts are secure,” said Mary Franklin, director of the Division of County Operations within DHS. “We need Arkansans who receive SNAP benefits to take steps to prevent this unauthorized access. Most importantly, they should immediately set a new four-digit PIN that only they know, and continue to change the PIN every month. This simple step goes a long way in locking scammers out.”
SNAP recipients can reset their pins by calling the EBT Customer Service line at 1-800-997-9999 and follow the prompts to reset their PIN. This is an important step to take before new benefits are added to cards, which typically occurs beginning around the 4th of each month.
• 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. Beneficiaries should also avoid PINs that reference information that may be publicly available, like birth dates or street addresses.
• 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 EBT accounts regularly for unauthorized charges. If there are any unauthorized charges, the SNAP recipient 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 saving an EBT card as a payment method for online shopping.
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
