JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – Officials with the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) are reminding customers about phishing scams related to SNAP benefits.

According to officials, criminals gain access to unsuspecting individuals’ EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card numbers and PINs in text messages to fraudulently claim their benefits.

The MDHS Office of Inspector General is reminding all customers not to share sensitive information with anyone by phone or text and not reply to any requests to call an 877 number to unlock the card. MDHS officials said the agency will not call or text recipients to request a PIN or benefits card number. The MDHS SNAP customer service contact number is 1-800-948-3050.

SNAP participants are encouraged to take action that may help prevent card skimming. Here are some examples:

• Keep your PIN secret. Do not share your PIN with anyone outside your household. Cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.
• Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you notice any, change your PIN immediately to stop the thief from making new purchases.
• Check card reading machines to make sure there’s nothing suspicious overlayed or attached to the card swiper or keypad. The overlays can be difficult to detect but are often bigger than the original machine and may hide parts of the machine.

If your EBT card has been compromised, call the Mississippi EBT card holder service center at 1-866-512-5087 as soon as possible to report the card as compromised. This will deactivate the card and send a new card to the account holder.

MDHS officials also suggest filing a police report. You can report the incident to the MDHS Office of Inspector General fraud hotline at 1-800-299-6905.

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