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Card skimmers targeting EBT customers, $250K stolen in past month

Thieves have used skimmers to steal from about 500 EBT cards in Louisiana in the past month. Here’s what to do.

LOUISIANA, USA — EBT card users are being urged to change their PINs immediately after a spike in reports of card skimmers being used to steal benefits.

“Louisiana has actually fared pretty well regarding other states regarding skimming,” said Rhonda Brown, Director of Fraud and Recovery for the Department of Children and Family Services, “however, in the last six months, we've seen a dramatic uptick.”

The DCFS runs Louisiana’s EBT program. Since October 1, Brown said about $250,000 in benefits have been stolen from EBT cards using skimmers in Louisiana. Four of those skimmers were found at grocery stores in the greater New Orleans area. 

“They've all been removed, that doesn't mean that there's not others out there,” said Brown. 

There are different types of card skimmers. The most common are placed on top of card readers, which capture data from cards as they’re being swiped.

The skimmers found in the past five weeks have not been targeting EBT cards specifically. Rather, those cards are more likely than others to go through a skimmer in the first place. 

“Unfortunately, EBT is one of the last types of cards that use magnetic swipes, most cards have gone to chip cards,” said Brown. She added that no state in the U.S. uses chip cards for SNAP benefits and that DCFS is working on switching over at some point in the future. 

The DCFS normally tells people to change their EBT card PINs once a month no matter what. Many users choose to do so more often. With the surge in thefts, the agency is urging all users to change their PIN immediately. 

It also points out several new security features available here. As of May, users can set spending limits, block online transitions, and block out-of-state transactions. Brown said most of the stolen benefits have been charged outside of Louisiana.

So far, the federal government has reimbursed about $111,000 to victims of the past five weeks’ EBT skimmer thefts. The DCFS is working to return more, Brown says, with about a three-week processing time from when a fraud claim is first filed. 

To report suspected EBT fraud, call 1-888-524-3578 or email dcfs.fraud@la.gov.

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