EBT skimming and stolen SNAP benefits: who replaces them and how to protect your card

SNAP benefits stolen by card skimming, cloning or similar fraud on or after December 21, 2024 cannot be replaced with federal money. The federal replacement program covered thefts from October 1, 2022 through December 20, 2024, and Congress did not extend it (USDA, Addressing Stolen SNAP Benefits, page updated September 8, 2026). A few places use their own money instead: California has replaced electronically stolen CalFresh with state funds since December 21, 2024, Maryland says it uses state funds to replace stolen benefits, and the District of Columbia says it “may” replace them and has a law making refunds a duty from March 1, 2028. Most states say plainly that stolen SNAP is gone. That makes prevention the main protection: lock your card between purchases, change your PIN right before each deposit, and use the chip if your state has issued chip cards.

If your benefits were just stolen, skip to What to do if your benefits were stolen.

How skimming and cloning work

Thieves attach an illegal device to an ATM or a store’s card reader. It copies the data on your card’s magnetic stripe; this is skimming. They write that data onto a blank card; this is cloning. Then they spend your SNAP at stores that accept EBT (USDA). New Jersey’s Department of Human Services says the devices sit “on or inside point-of-sale terminals” and also “record cardholders’ PIN entries” (NJ DHS, September 10, 2026).

Thieves are patient. Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services says they “often spend weeks collecting card information, like a PIN, and wait to strike until right after benefits are distributed” (PA DHS, September 17, 2026). That is why a card can be skimmed at the start of one month and drained the morning the next deposit lands, even though you never lost it.

Phishing is the other common route. USDA has warned of fake text messages saying your “SNAP EBT card has been locked” and giving a number to call, and of texts asking for card numbers and PINs. Do not give your card number or PIN by phone or text (USDA, SNAP Scam Alerts). State agencies and EBT processors never call or text to ask for your PIN or card number (USDA).

The federal replacement program and when it ended

Sources: USDA, Addressing Stolen SNAP Benefits; USDA, Replacing Stolen SNAP Benefits: State Plan Approvals.

While it lasted, a replacement could not be more than the amount stolen or the household’s allotment for the two months before the theft, whichever was less (USDA). USDA’s page, as updated September 8, 2026, lists no later law that restores federal replacement.

Many states stopped taking claims for old thefts too. Georgia’s program for old thefts “officially ended” on June 20, 2025 (Georgia DFCS), and Colorado stopped taking claims on August 31, 2025 (see the Colorado page). If your theft happened on or before December 20, 2024 and you never filed, ask your state agency whether it still accepts a claim, but expect the answer to be no.

Which states replace stolen SNAP with their own money

These are the places whose official pages, checked October 16, 2026, say they replace SNAP stolen after December 20, 2024, or may do so.

Sources: Los Angeles County DPSS, Electronic Benefit Theft Replacement Policy (revised January 28, 2026), which applies the statewide California rule; Maryland DHS, EBT Theft Reimbursement and Replacing Stolen Benefits, Key Data Points (data as of October 9, 2026); DC DHS, Report Stolen Benefits.

Details worth knowing:

• California. A police report is encouraged but not required. Replacements do not count as income or as a resource. Stolen fruit-and-vegetable incentive dollars are replaced too. In Los Angeles County, report by calling the DPSS Customer Service Center at 1-866-613-3777, at a district office, or in BenefitsCal (LA County DPSS).
• Maryland. No police report is required. Questions and claim status: the stolen-benefits hotline, 1-833-330-7328. If the claim is denied, you can ask for a fair hearing (Maryland DHS). Maryland reports $52,492,904 replaced since March 2023, counting federal and state money and benefits beyond SNAP (Maryland DHS data).
• District of Columbia. D.C. Law 26-104, the Public Benefits Security Amendment Act of 2026 (effective March 24, 2026), requires DHS to restore up to two months of correctly issued benefits stolen by phishing, skimming or cloning and reported within six months (D.C. Law 26-104). The FY2027 Budget Support Emergency Act (D.C. Act 26-416, effective August 13, 2026) made that duty start March 1, 2028, and says DHS is neither required nor barred from restoring benefits stolen before then (D.C. Act 26-416, Subtitle S). Until then, the 30-day DHS-1697 process applies.

The other state agencies checked for this guide say no. Examples, each from the agency’s own page:

• Connecticut: “If your benefits are stolen, we cannot replace them” (CT DSS).
• Indiana: “Any SNAP benefits stolen from December 21, 2024, forward cannot be replaced” (FSSA).
• Iowa: “SNAP benefits that have been stolen cannot be replaced” (Iowa HHS).
• Kansas: the federal provision expired December 20, 2024, and “state funding is not available to replace stolen benefits.” That covers TANF cash as well as SNAP (Kansas DCF).
• Louisiana: “Skimmed SNAP or SUN Bucks benefits WILL NOT be replaced” (LDH).
• New Jersey: SNAP and Work First New Jersey benefits stolen electronically on or after December 21, 2024 “are not eligible for replacement” (NJ DHS).
• New York: the Governor’s office says the federal government stopped funding replacement at the end of 2024 (Governor of New York, July 13, 2026).
• Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia and Illinois also say they do not replace SNAP stolen after December 20, 2024; see each state page for the wording and source. Idaho’s Manage my SNAP page still links its stolen-benefits form, FS585, without saying whether thefts after 2024 are paid (Idaho page).

Worked example: California’s two-month cap

A California household of three gets the FY2027 maximum of $808 a month (the federal maximum for three people from October 1, 2026). In November 2026, a cloned card is used for $1,900 in two purchases.

• Two months of the last allotment: 2 × $808 = $1,616.
• Amount stolen: $1,900.
• Replacement: the lower figure, $1,616. The other $284 is not replaced.
• This uses one of the household’s two countable replacements for federal fiscal year 2027 (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027).

The household must file form EBT 2259 by the 90th calendar day after the theft. If only $500 had been taken, the full $500 would come back.

A stolen card is not the same as skimmed benefits

If the plastic card itself is lost or stolen, a federal rule protects what is spent after you report it. Once you report the card lost or stolen, the state must put an immediate hold on the account, “assume liability for benefits subsequently drawn from the account and replace any lost or stolen benefits.” The state must mail you a new card, or have one ready to pick up, within two business days of your report (7 CFR 274.6(b)).

Example: your wallet is stolen on a Saturday afternoon and the thief spends $120 of SNAP that evening. You call your state’s EBT line at 9 a.m. Sunday. The $120 spent before your call is not covered by this rule. Anything drawn from the account after 9 a.m. Sunday is the state’s responsibility. Alaska’s SNAP manual states the same limit: if the card itself is stolen, only what is spent after you report it comes back (see the Alaska page). So call the 24-hour number on the back of the card as soon as you notice the card is gone.

Skimming is different: you still have your card, so there was nothing to report until the money was gone. That is the gap the 2022-2024 federal program filled and that only a few states fill with their own money.

The same federal rule lets states charge a replacement-card fee, as long as it does not exceed the cost of the card, and lets them flag accounts after four replacement cards in 12 months (7 CFR 274.6(b)). Maryland gives one free replacement in 12 months, then charges $2 (Maryland DHS). For replacing a card, see Lost or stolen EBT card.

Cash benefits on the same card follow state rules

The December 2024 cutoff applies to SNAP. Cash assistance (TANF and state programs) on the same EBT card is paid under state rules, and some states replace stolen cash even when they cannot replace SNAP:

• California replaces EBT cash lost to skimming with no limit on the number of replacements; cash lost to a scam can be replaced once in 36 months (LA County DPSS).
• Indiana replaces TANF cash stolen by skimming or cloning. Email [email protected] with only your name and phone number; you will be asked to sign an affidavit, and FSSA decides within 10 days of getting it (FSSA).
• Colorado counties may reissue stolen Colorado Works or Adult Financial cash when the loss was beyond your control (see the Colorado page).

If you get both SNAP and cash, report both amounts. The answer may differ for each.

Chip cards: which states have them

A chip makes a one-time code for each payment, so data copied from it cannot be reused the way a magnetic stripe can (D.C. Law 26-104 defines EMV technology this way). USDA’s stolen-benefits FAQ, updated September 8, 2026, still says no state issues SNAP chip cards, but state agencies report otherwise. Pennsylvania’s DHS counted seven states using chip EBT cards on September 17, 2026 (PA DHS).

If you have a chip card:

• Insert or tap. Do not swipe. Alabama DHR tells cardholders not to swipe the new cards, and New Jersey calls swiping “less secure” (Alabama DHR; NJ DHS). A store with an old reader may prompt you to swipe; that use is open to skimming.
• Activate it before the old card dies. Deadlines differ: 180 days in Alabama, 90 days in New Jersey, 60 days in Massachusetts. In Virginia the old card shuts off 60 days after the new one is mailed whether or not you have activated it.
• Your balance moves over. Maryland, New Jersey and Oklahoma say benefits transfer to the new card automatically (Governor of Maryland; NJ DHS; OKDHS).
• The expiration date and 3-digit security code are new. The date applies to the card only, not your benefits (NJ DHS).
• Keep using the lock. Alabama, New Jersey and Pennsylvania all tell cardholders to keep locking the card when it is not in use, chip or not.

Lock your card and block out-of-state and online use

Most states let you lock the card in the EBT processor’s official app or website. The names of the settings depend on the processor.

Conduent states (ConnectEBT app and website). Pennsylvania’s DHS describes the two options (PA DHS):

• “Lock My Card Everywhere” blocks every purchase, in stores and online. Pennsylvania says locking also blocks balance inquiries and other transactions.
• “Lock My Card Outside PA” (the state name changes) blocks stores in other states but still allows in-state stores and all online purchases.
• You can set the card to re-lock itself 30, 60 or 90 minutes after you unlock it.

FIS states (ebtEDGE app and website). The settings are usually called freeze card, block internet transactions and block out-of-state transactions. Florida’s flyer shows all three and notes that the out-of-state block also stops online orders delivered or picked up outside Florida (see the Florida page). New York tells cardholders to use the freeze/unfreeze feature in the ebtEDGE app (Governor of New York).

Louisiana (LifeInCheck). Louisiana’s cardholder site, LifeInCheckEBT.com, lets you block out-of-state transactions and block online transactions (LDH).

State systems. Connecticut’s MyDSS has its own lock and block. Its out-of-state block stops stores and ATMs outside Connecticut but not online purchases (CT DSS).

Some states turn protection on for you. Since January 22, 2026, every Alabama EBT card starts in “Block High-Risk Transaction” status: purchases in Alabama stores work, but out-of-state and online purchases fail until you unlock the card in ConnectEBT or by calling 1-800-997-8888 (Alabama DHR).

A lock does not stop thieves from copying your stripe. It stops them from spending with the copy while the card is locked. Unlock it at the register, pay, and lock it again. If you buy groceries online with SNAP, remember to unlock before checkout; see Buy groceries online with EBT.

Use only the app your state names. Arkansas warns that fake EBT apps are used to steal benefits (see the Arkansas page), and Pennsylvania calls ConnectEBT the only app authorized to lock its cards (PA DHS). How to check your EBT balance lists each state’s official site and app.

Other habits that cut the risk

These come from USDA’s stolen-benefits page and state agency advice:

• Change your PIN at least once a month, right before your deposit date. A thief who skimmed your PIN last month then holds a useless one (USDA). Your deposit day is in EBT deposit schedule by state.
• Avoid simple PINs such as 1111, 1234 or 9876 (USDA).
• Cover the keypad with your other hand when you enter your PIN.
• Look at the reader before you use it. Skimmers are often placed over the real card reader, so they look bigger than normal. Pull gently at the edges, since they are often attached with glue or tape, and check for the security sticker that some legitimate readers carry (PA DHS; USDA scam alerts).
• Check your transactions often in the app or website. If you see a charge you did not make, change your PIN at once (USDA).
• Never let anyone photograph your card or take your card number for a prize, a survey or “instant cash” (USDA scam alerts).

What to do if your benefits were stolen

Do these in order, the same day if you can.

1. Stop further theft. Lock or freeze the card in your state’s official app or website, or call the 24-hour EBT customer service number on the back of the card and report it. The table below lists every state’s number.
2. Change the PIN and get a new card. USDA says to change your PIN right away to stop the thief from making new purchases (USDA). New Jersey tells victims to re-PIN or replace the card and lock it (NJ DHS). A replacement card has a new card number, so the copied one is useless. In D.C., for example, DHS tells theft victims to request a new card from FIS at 1-888-304-9167 (DC DHS).
3. Write down the details. The date, time, amount and store name or location of every charge you did not make. Take screenshots of the transaction history.
4. File your state’s claim, if it has one, before the deadline. California: form EBT 2259 within 90 days. Maryland: the attestation claim form within 45 days. District of Columbia: form DHS-1697 within 30 days. If your state does not replace SNAP, still report the theft to your SNAP office; USDA asks victims to do this, and a cash-assistance theft may be replaceable (USDA).
5. Report it to the police if you want to. California and Maryland do not require a police report, but both encourage one because it helps investigators.
6. Report criminal activity to the USDA Office of Inspector General if you know where the skimmer was or who took the benefits. Use the online OIG Hotline, call 1-202-690-1622 (or 711), or write to USDA Office of Inspector General, P.O. Box 23399, Washington, D.C. 20026-3399. You may stay anonymous (USDA, Report Fraud).
7. If a claim is denied, ask for a fair hearing. The denial notice explains how. See SNAP denied: how to ask for a fair hearing.

A theft does not change your SNAP case. Your next deposit arrives on your usual date and can be stolen the same way if the old card is still active, which is why step 2 matters. If the household is out of food before then, Maryland’s DHS points theft victims to local food pantries; your state page lists other help.

EBT customer service numbers by state

Call the number for the state that issued your card. Each line takes reports of lost, stolen and compromised cards.

Sources

• Addressing Stolen SNAP Benefits, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, page updated September 8, 2026 (read via the agency’s CDN copy)
• Replacing Stolen SNAP Benefits: State Plan Approvals, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration
• SNAP Scam Alerts, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration
• Report Fraud, USDA Food and Nutrition Administration, page updated August 11, 2026
• 7 CFR 274.6, Replacement issuances and cards to households, eCFR
• Electronic Benefit Theft Replacement Policy, Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services, revised January 28, 2026
• Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), California Department of Social Services
• EBT Theft Reimbursement and Replacing Stolen Benefits, Key Data Points, Maryland Department of Human Services
• Governor Moore Announces the Statewide Rollout of Chip-and-Tap EBT Cards, Office of the Governor of Maryland, July 17, 2026
• Report Stolen Benefits, DC Department of Human Services
• D.C. Law 26-104, Public Benefits Security Amendment Act of 2026 and D.C. Act 26-416, Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2026, Council of the District of Columbia
• Federal Stolen SNAP Replacement Program, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
• Protect Your EBT Card Benefits, Connecticut Department of Social Services
• EBT Online, Kansas Department for Children and Families
• Skimming, Louisiana Department of Health
• SNAP benefit fraud by card skimming, card cloning and other similar methods, Indiana FSSA
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Iowa HHS
• Electronically Stolen Benefits, Your New Families First EBT Card and EBT Chip Cards Are Now Available Statewide (September 10, 2026), New Jersey Department of Human Services
• New Chip-Based Benefit Cards for SNAP Recipients to Be Issued in Early 2027, Office of the Governor of New York, July 13, 2026
• Shapiro Administration’s $7 Million Investment to Modernize SNAP EBT Cards, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, September 17, 2026
• Chipped EBT Cards Rolling Out Statewide (February 10, 2026) and SNAP Transactions for Out of State and Online Automatically Turned Off (January 12, 2026), Alabama Department of Human Resources
• New Chip Card Information for SNAP EBT, Oklahoma Human Services, March 26, 2026
• Governor Healey Announces Statewide Launch of EBT Chip Cards, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, July 29, 2026
• SNAP EBT Chip Card Modernization Initiative, Virginia Department of Social Services