Oklahoma Human Services offers support for SNAP benefit theft victims

SNAP customers can apply for stolen benefit replacement through Dec. 20, 2024

CURRENT SNAP RECIPIENTS WHO HAVE LOST BENEFITS DUE TO FRAUD: Submit your claim

• by phone at 405-522-5050, · in-person at a Human Services Center, or
• by mail to Oklahoma Human Services, SNAP, PO Box 25352, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. NON-SNAP RECIPIENTS: To apply for SNAP benefits, visit OKDHSLive.org.

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 1, 2024) — Current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients who have experienced benefit theft due to card skimming, cloning, or other fraudulent methods, including phishing, can continue to apply for benefit replacement, thanks to a new law passed by Congress. The Continuing Appropriations Act of 2025, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 25, extends the opportunity for SNAP households to recover stolen benefits until Dec. 20, 2024.

This act builds on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which first allowed the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) to reimburse SNAP recipients for stolen benefits between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2024.

“SNAP customers rely on their benefits to provide food for their families,” said Deb Smith, Deputy Director Oklahoma Human Services. “This new law helps ensure families who experience theft can still feed their children, even when criminals try to take their benefits.”

SNAP households may submit claims for benefits stolen through fraudulent means. The date of claim submission is considered the date of report. Oklahoma Human Services will consider a report timely when it is made within 30 calendar days of the date the household discovered their benefits were stolen.

Customers may submit claims by phone at 405-522-5050, in person at a Human Services Center, or by mail at Oklahoma Human Services, SNAP, PO Box 25352, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. Agency staff will submit the electronic request form on behalf of the household upon contact.

To be eligible for replacement of benefits, households must explain within their claims:

• Whether the household had the card in their possession during the theft, and
• That electronic SNAP benefits were stolen through no fault of their own. Customers are only eligible to receive two stolen benefit replacements per fiscal year, and the replacement amount cannot exceed two months of benefits.

SNAP customers should protect their EBT cards just as they would debit or credit cards.

Oklahoma Human Services continues to encourage the following actions to prevent fraud and protect SNAP EBT benefits:

• All SNAP customers should change their PIN frequently.
  • Customers may change their PIN by calling 1-888-328-6551 or visiting connectEBT.com.
  • Call volumes may be high at times. If you cannot get through by phone to change your PIN, please try again a little later or use the web option.
• SNAP customers should never respond to text messages or calls from numbers they do not know or click links in suspicious text messages. The agency will never call or text you to ask for your Social Security number or PIN.
  • If you receive a call or text message from a number you do not recognize and they ask you to give them your personal information (Social Security number, PIN, benefit card number), DON’T DO IT.
• SNAP customers should always:
  • Avoid simple PINs. Number combinations such as 1111, 1234 or 9876 may be easy for others to guess.
  • Keep their SNAP EBT PIN secret. Do not share your PIN with anyone outside your household. Cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.
  • Check their SNAP EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges using the ConnectEBT app. If you notice any unauthorized charges, change your PIN immediately to stop the thief from making new purchases.
  • Use the ConnectEBT app to lock your card between purchases. This simple action ensures you are in control of when your card is used. Step-by-step instructions on how to lock and unlock your card are available on HYPERLINK "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LgTAFOA1nU" Oklahoma Human Services’ YouTube channel.
  • Check the card reading machine (point-of-sale device) to make sure there is nothing suspicious overlaid or attached to the card reader or keypad. If an individual notices signs that a skimmer may be in use, they should alert the retailer and refrain from using the possibly compromised machine.
  • Avoid accumulating large SNAP EBT account balances. If a SNAP EBT card is skimmed and cloned, the thief can potentially steal all the benefits in the account.
• Customers should call 405-522-5050 if they feel they have been a target of a fraud attempt.

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