Dealing with SNAP benefit theft in PA

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If your benefits were stolen on or after Dec 21, 2024 you should report the theft & request a new EBT card. However, DHS will not be able to replace your stolen benefits until Congress acts to allow states to replace them. To take action, contact your member of Congress and urge them to make this a priority to fix.

Note: The information on this page is for Pennsylvania residents only.

Laws that protect credit and debit card users from fraudulent charges do not protect EBT cards. Criminals have stolen millions of dollars worth of SNAP recipients’ benefits across the nation. They have done this through card skimming machines, scam text messages, or other phishing schemes to gain access to the victim’s EBT card number and PIN.

If you had a charge to your SNAP card that was not made by you or someone in your family:

  1. Change your PIN number right away to prevent future theft by calling the EBT hotline on the back of your card, AND

  2. report the stolen benefits to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to request a new EBT card by contacting your County Assistance Office or calling the Customer Service Center at 1-877-395-8930 or 215-560-7226 in Philadelphia.

To find local food resources, visit www.211.org and Feeding PA. 

If you are in Allegheny County, check out the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s pantries, market, and special distributions.

How to Protect Your Benefits.

    • SNAP recipients and all EBT cardholders can now lock their cards when not in use to protect against theft and skimming. Using the Connect EBT app on your phone, you can lock and unlock your card in between transactions.

    • Keep the SNAP EBT PIN a secret. Do not share your PIN with anyone outside your household. Cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.

    • Check the SNAP EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you see an unauthorized charge, change your EBT PIN immediately to stop the thief from making any new purchases. When you change the PIN this will restrict anyone attempting to gain access to the EBT account via a duplicate card.

    • Check card reading machines to make sure there’s nothing suspicious attached to the card swiper or keypad. Skimming devices are difficult to detect. They are often just slightly bigger than the original machine and may cover parts of the machine, such as the pen holder. They can also make the keypad or other parts feel flimsy or loose.

    • Change your PIN regularly, but especially before your benefit disbursement date.

    • PA Dept. of Human Services does send text messages, but they always come from their phone number: 717-689-8746.  Their text messages are never very specific, and will often refer you to check for notices on COMPASS. Text messages that appear to come from an email address are scams. 

    • Never enter your EBT card number or PIN when calling any phone number other than the EBT hotline, 1-888-EBT-PENN (1-888-328-7366). This number is on the back of your EBT card. You can also access your EBT balance using the MY COMPASS PA mobile app. 

    • When in doubt about the status of your benefits, call the customer service center at 1-877-395-8930. If you are in Philadelphia, call 215-560-7226. 

    • Please report text messaging scams to the PA Dept. of Human Services fraud tip line: 1-844-DHS-TIPS (1-844-347-8477)

    • Read more about known scams on this DHS webpage. 

  • You can hear a listing of your last ten transactions by calling the EBT Hotline, 1-888-EBT-PENN (1-888-328-7366).

    You can use any of these trusted online sources for viewing more of your transaction history:

    Read more about protecting your EBT information online at this DHS webpage.

  • Sharing your experience directly with representatives and their staff is a key way to inform them of the impact of stolen SNAP benefits on their constituents and urges them to take action.  If you were personally impacted by SNAP theft, sharing your experience can be very motivating and impactful. 

    Contact your Congressional Representative and Senators

    Congress has the authority to reinstate replacing stolen benefits as well as strengthening the security of EBT cards. Congress had previously passed legislation that replaced stolen benefits, but let that provision expire in December of 2024.

    Contact your PA Representative and Senator

    States on their own have passed legislation and funding to strengthen EBT security. Some states have also funded replacing stolen SNAP benefits. California has already implemented EBT cards with security chips similar to debit and credit cards, Maryland and Oklahoma are also working to transition to chips. In order for PA to begin this transition (which may take almost two years), there needs to be additional funding and support from the state legislature. You can check out this fact sheet for more details. 

    • “My name is ___________

    • I live at  ______________

    • I am calling to ask that the legislature take action to support and protect SNAP by helping to stop theft of SNAP benefits – and helping those benefits to stretch further.

    • SNAP benefits are issued on EBT cards that have never been updated and are vulnerable to theft from skimming machines and phishing scams – they rely only EBT cards function with a magnetic stripe, rather than the more secure chip/tap technology – making these cards an easier target for theft. 

    • More than $9 million in benefits have been stolen from financially struggling families since 2022.

    • When benefits are stolen, families cannot be reimbursed for the benefits and are left without recourse. 

    • PA must take action to start the process of rolling out more secure EBT cards. 

    • I am asking for you to invest $7 million in the state budget this year to provide funding for shipped EBT cards and equipment.“My name is ___________

    • I live at  ______________

    • I am calling to ask that the legislature take action to support and protect SNAP by helping to stop theft of SNAP benefits – and helping those benefits to stretch further.

    • SNAP benefits are issued on EBT cards that have never been updated and are vulnerable to theft from skimming machines and phishing scams – they rely only EBT cards function with a magnetic stripe, rather than the more secure chip/tap technology – making these cards an easier target for theft. 

    • More than $9 million in benefits have been stolen from financially struggling families since 2022.

    • When benefits are stolen, families cannot be reimbursed for the benefits and are left without recourse. 

    • PA must take action to start the process of rolling out more secure EBT cards. 

    • I am asking for you to invest $7 million in the state budget this year to provide funding for shipped EBT cards and equipment.

  • Calls are more effective than emails, even if you call after hours and leave a voicemail. But if you can’t make a phone call, You can send an email using this online action tool: Protect Victims of SNAP Theft.

Take Action to Strengthen SNAP Benefit Protection.

Share Your Story.

Just Harvest is collecting stories  about the importance of SNAP as well as the impact of benefit theft to share with elected officials.

Your story can help to make a difference as we continue advocating for the protection and strengthening of this essential program. 

If you would rather share your story directly over the phone with Just Harvest staff, please call our Communications Coordinator, Katherine Taylor at (412) 484-0182.