NYS Advises EBT Users To Protect Themselves From EBT Skimming

Last Updated: 1/27/2023

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance has been made aware of increasing incidents of Temporary Assistance and NSP benefits theft via several scams.

One such scam is “card skimming” which directly copies card and Pin information from EBT users at legitimate retailers, using authorized EBT point of sale (POS) devices.  This type of scam involves the use of a physical overlay devise with Bluetooth technology to temporarily commandeer a retailer’s POS device.  Once thieves have gained access to the POS devise, they are able to steal, or skim, and then remotely transmit card and PIN information to an offsite location.

There are several things you can do to reduce risk and better safeguard their EBT cards from this type of theft:

• Frequently Change EBT Account PIN, and choose a PIN that is not easy to guess
• Physically Inspect POS Devices – an overlay device covers the entire faceplate of the card reading machine, so it’s a little bigger than the original machine, so some physical signs might be noticeable
• Report Suspicious Devices & Activity – alert the retailer and don’t use the compromised machine. Regularly review account transactions and balances and immediately report your card lost or stolen in there are any questionable transactions.  You may report your card lost or stolen at the EBT Customer Service Helpline (1-888-328-6399), on Internet at connectebt.com, or on the ConnectEBT mobile app.

View the informational video released by the state.