The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is urging families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to change their electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card PINs immediately, following a rise in scam activity targeting recipients’ accounts.
More than 700 beneficiaries have reported stolen benefits since July distributions were loaded onto EBT cards. DHS officials say they cannot replace stolen funds, making prevention critical ahead of the next scheduled distribution on Aug. 4.
“DHS is not authorized to replace stolen benefits, so we are strongly encouraging everyone who receives SNAP to take just a couple minutes and change their PIN to a new combination that only they know,” said Mary Franklin, Director of the Division of County Operations. “This simple step is the best protection to ensure that if a card number has been compromised, the thief cannot remove the funds.”…