The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced plans for an upcoming text message alert warning residents of recent increases in nationwide SNAP Fraud.

In particular, there has been an increase of credit card skimming, where SNAP benefits are stolen from EMT cards after they are run through card skimmers at a point-of-sale machine.

The text will come from the number 1-833-648-1964 and will read as follows:

"Protect your benefits! Watch for scams and skimming devices that could compromise your EBT card and funds. Visit www.dhs.pa.gov/scams for more info."

If you receive a text like this and want to verify its legitimacy, you are encouraged to contact your local County Assistance office.

Legitimate texts from the DHS will never include details about your benefits like the amount of NSAP you are authorized to receive, a request for specific personal information or links to unofficial sites.

Most legitimate DHS texts will direct recipients to dhs.pa.gov, COMPASS or a site that ends in .gov or .org/

To avoid becoming the victim of SNAP fraud, recipients are urged to take an extra look before swiping their card at a point-of-sale machine to ensure a skimmer is not attached.

Retailers are also asked to remove any skimming devices they may find in order to protect customers.

Skimming usually does not happen immediately after the use of a point-of-sale device. Thieves often collect a recipient's PIN information and then steal their funds after the next SNAP payment is made.

SNAP recipients are encouraged to monitor their benefits and transactions regularly through Pennsylvania's free myCOMPASS PA mobile app, available in both the Apple and Google Play stores.

If your SNAP benefits are stolen, you're asked to report it to your local police department. However, because federal authorization was not extended, any benefits stolen after December 20, 2024 are not refundable.

Victims are also urged to request a new EBT card and find immediate food assistance. You can call 211 to connect with various food resources near you.