The Maine Department of Health and Human Services is urging federal food assistance recipients in Maine to change the PINs on their EBT cards and check for fraudulent activity.
So far this week, about 300 households that rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have lost $76,000 in benefits in a multistate theft operation. DHHS said Thursday that the thieves appear to be using the electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards at point-of-sale terminals in other states.
Maine is one of several states that has been hit by the theft operation targeting SNAP, which is formerly known as food stamps. But DHHS officials warned that the number of affected households could rise as the scale of the operation becomes clearer.
“This incident appears to be the result of large-scale theft involving stolen card numbers and PINs — sometimes referred to as ‘cloning’ — rather than a localized skimming device,” Ian Yaffe, director of the DHHS Office for Family Independence, said in a statement. “While this type of fraud and theft have occurred in other states, this is the first time we have seen it at this scale in Maine. We are working with the federal government and our EBT vendor, Fidelity Information Services, to do all we can to prevent further theft of benefits from Maine people who rely on SNAP to supplement their monthly food budget.”
More than 170,000 Mainers currently receive SNAP benefits.
DHHS officials said federal rules prohibit the state from replacing stolen SNAP money. That means affected households will have to wait until next month to receive additional benefits. In the meantime, DHHS said it is working to connect those households with food pantries or other community groups to help them bridge the gap until next month. The office said it is proactively contacting affected households, whenever possible.
But DHHS officials are urging all SNAP recipients to take steps to strengthen protections on their accounts. Those steps include:
— Immediately changing the PIN on their EBT card and avoiding easy-to-guess numbers, such as 1234 or birthdays.
— Activating the lock/unlock feature to temporarily block access to benefits when not in use.
— Blocking out-of-state or online transactions.
— Regularly reviewing activity on their accounts.
Those changes can be made online at the Pinetree Card website or by using the ebtEDGE app for mobile phones. Individuals who need assistance using the website or app can call Fidelity Information Services at 1-800-477-7428.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
