MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WDNews)
– The Alabama Department of Human Resources is urging Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cardholders to lock their cards when not in use following a dramatic increase in fraud activity—most of it suspected to originate out of state.
In the last month alone, DHR reported $4 million in fraudulent EBT spending. Of that amount, approximately $1.8 million was used in New York and $2.2 million in Pennsylvania—transactions the agency believes were entirely fraudulent.
Between May 2023 and December 20, 2024, the agency reimbursed $15.9 million in stolen Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. During the final quarter of 2024 alone, more than 26,000 reimbursements were issued, totaling $10.5 million.
“We believe 100% of these funds were stolen outside the state of Alabama,” DHR stated in a public notice.
To combat the fraud, DHR is encouraging all EBT users to activate the “Lock Card Everywhere” option available through the ConnectEBT mobile app or website. This feature disables all transactions when the card is not in use.
“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… will truly combat this type of fraud.”
The agency offers two locking options:
-
Lock Card Everywhere
: Blocks all purchases until manually unlocked. -
Lock Card
: Blocks only out-of-state transactions but still allows online purchases.
Lock Card Everywhere
: Blocks all purchases until manually unlocked.
Lock Card
: Blocks only out-of-state transactions but still allows online purchases.
Cardholders can also sign up for activity alerts via the ConnectEBT app, text message, or email to monitor account activity more closely.
For more information or to manage your card, visit
https://www.connectebt.com
.
