Scammers target SNAP recipients with text message claiming EBT card is locked

Scammers have been targeting SNAP recipients with a text message that falsely claims their EBT benefits card is locked.

SNAP recipients should not respond to messages that claim their EBT benefits card is locked. The text message includes a phone number to call for help and if the recipient responds the scammers could access the card’s funds.

EBT cards provide government food assistance, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or food stamps. The scammers are targeting people who rely on those benefits to feed their families.

If you are a SNAP recipient and receive a text message that your EBT card is locked, it is a scam. Do not respond.

Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services offered the following tips:

• Don’t share your EBT PIN with anyone outside your household
• Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges
• Change your PIN number occasionally or if you suspect it was compromised
• Don’t click on links in unsolicited text messages
• Don’t respond to suspicious or spam text messages