Greg's Corner

Text message scam targets food stamp recipients in multiple states

By Greg Collier

If you or someone you know receives any kind of benefit assistance from your state, you may want to be on the lookout for suspicious text messages regarding your benefits. Just this week, we’ve come across three states where those receiving benefits through EBT cards have been warned about text messages that appear to come from the state.

In all three states, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, the scams are the same. Recipients have received text messages stating that their benefits would be cut off if they didn’t call the number in the text to confirm their account number and their PIN. Once the scammers have this information, they’re able to drain the recipient’s account.

For many recipients, if they miss even a month of benefits, that could mean their children go hungry, or they could be evicted from their homes. With this kind of risk hanging over their heads, you can see why some may respond to these text messages out of fear. This fear is precisely what the scammers are counting on.

The scammers don’t know who specifically is receiving benefits, so they’re sending out text messages en masse in hopes of finding a few victims. You may receive a text message even if you’re not receiving any state benefits.

Most states do send out texts to benefit recipients, such as reminders when it’s time for renewal. However, these states will never send text messages asking for personal information like your PIN, Social Security number, or date of birth, just to name a few.

Since this scam has already happened in multiple states, there’s a good chance it could be happening in yours. If you receive a text message like this, do not respond and delete the message. If you fall victim to this scam, contact your state immediately, as it could take another month before the benefits can be replaced.