SNAP recipients are asked to protect their account information and PIN
Published on Friday, August 23, 2024, 16:33
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is reminding customers of phishing scams related to SNAP benefits. Criminals use text messages to gain access to unsuspecting individuals’ EBT card numbers and PINs in order to fraudulently claim their benefits.
The MDHS Office of the Inspector General advises all customers not to share confidential information with anyone by phone or text message and not to respond to requests to call an 877 number to unlock the card.
MDHS will not call or text recipients to ask for a PIN or benefit card number. The MDHS SNAP Customer Service contact number is 1-800-948-3050.
SNAP participants are encouraged to take steps that can help prevent card skimming. Here are some examples:
Keep your PIN secret. Do not share your PIN with anyone outside your household. Cover the keypad when entering your PIN on a device.
Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you notice any, change your PIN immediately to prevent the thief from making further purchases.
Check card readers to make sure there is nothing suspicious on the card reader or keypad. The covers can be difficult to see, but are often larger than the original device and can obscure parts of the device.
If your EBT card has been compromised, call the Mississippi EBT Cardholder Service Center at 1-866-512-5087 as soon as possible to report the card as compromised. This will deactivate the card and mail the account holder a new card.
MDHS also recommends filing a police report. In addition, reporting the incident to the MDHS Office of Inspector General’s fraud hotline at 1-800-299-6905 may assist in ongoing investigations.
