Have your food stamp benefits been stolen?
A new EBT card scam has data thieves stealing information on EBT cards. Scammers are skimming and cloning EBT cards and are stealing benefits from FNS recipients in North Carolina.
Stolen benefits can now be replaced.
Act Now. Beginning August 28, 2023, certain Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) benefits can receive replacement for benefits stolen between October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2024 through card skimming, card cloning, and other similar fraudulent methods.
Helpful tips to keep your information protected:
- Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges.
- Change the PIN to the EBT card regularly, using a new number each time.
- Select a “difficult” pin.
- Regularly check card reading machines for skimming devices.
Food Stamp Theft Q&A
If you reported your stolen EBT benefits/Food Stamps during those dates to the EBT Call Center, you should have received a notice, a cover letter, and a blank affidavit. You must submit that affidavit by September 27, 2023 to your local DSS by one of the methods explained below.
An affidavit is a voluntary sworn statement made under oath, which will be used as verification that you are telling the truth regarding stolen EBT/Food Stamp benefits.
You must also submit a signed affidavit by September 27, 2023.
You have 30 days to file an affidavit from the date of discovery.
An affidavit will need to be filed out which you sign and submit via mail, fax, in person, or over the phone with a telephonic signature with your local DSS.
North Carolina has 30 days to look over your affidavit and approve/deny. If the affidavit is denied you have the right to a hearing. Notices will be sent through NC FAST.
You may not get back all of the benefits that were stolen. The replacement benefit will be the lesser of the amount stolen from the household or the amount equal to two months of the monthly allotment of the household immediately prior to the date on which the benefits were stolen.
You can only ask for your benefits to be replaced two times in a federal fiscal year, which is October 1st – September 30th.
The following benefits can be replaced: regular Food and Nutrition Services, simplified nutritional assistance program (SNAP), Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP), and Emergency Allotments (EA). However, Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) benefits cannot be replaced.