Alabama officials recommend locking food stamp cards to prevent out-of-state fraud
HUNTSIVLLE, Ala. (WHNT) — The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) is recommending that all EBT cardholders utilize the new Lock/Unlock feature on the ConnectEBT app and website, especially the 'Lock Card Everywhere' option which will help block out of state fraud.
From May 2023 to Dec. 20, 2024, Alabama DHR replaced $15.9 million of SNAP benefits due to EBT fraud. From October to December 2024, over 26,000 reimbursements were approved for $10.5 million.
The Department believes that 100 percent of the funds were stolen from outside of the state.
Data shows that around $1.8 million in Alabama EBT expenditures happened in the state of New York and around $2.2 million was spent in Pennsylvania. DHR said it believes most, if not all, of this is fraud.
'The very best thing our SNAP clients can do is lock their card when they aren't using it,' said Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner. 'With the funds being stolen by utilizing out of state EBT terminals, we believe using our newest feature on ConnectEBT and locking the EBT card will truly combat this type of fraud.'
Clients can choose from two options when locking their card: 'Lock Card Everywhere' or 'Lock Card'. 'Lock Card Everywhere' completely locks cards to ALL purchases anywhere. The 'Lock Card' option will lock cards from purchases outside of Alabama but does allow online purchases.
DHR strongly recommends the 'Lock Card Everywhere' option at all times when the card is not in use.
In the event a card is used at a location for a food purchase, the business can access the amount due, even if the card is then immediately locked by the user.
Authorization for the purchase is in real-time and based on the card status at the time of the transaction.
If the card is locked when the card is swiped or keyed in, then the retailer's transaction will fail due to the locked card status.
But if the cardholder locks the card, even if it is immediately AFTER the transaction is complete, the transaction would have already been authorized and completed and the transaction would be successful as long as available funds were in the account at the time of the purchase.
EBT cardholders may also sign up for alerts through the ConnectEBT app and website. These alerts include account activity alerts through the app, text, and/or email.
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