There has been a substantial increase in fraudulent EBT transactions out of state over the past two months. The majority of stolen benefits are being withdrawn from ATMs in Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey.
In order to protect clients, EBT ATM transaction blocking has been implemented in impacted areas of Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey as of today, March 10, 2020. This applies to ATM withdrawals only. Transactions at FNS authorized food retailers are still fully functional.
Cardholders attempting to withdraw cash at an ATM in those states will receive a general message stating their transaction is declined. Specific messaging varies between ATM owners.
Cardholders currently traveling or planning travel to Florida, Georgia, or New Jersey and legitimately needing access to their benefits via ATM withdrawals must call the EBT customer service line at (877) 328-9677 and request an exception for their card in that particular state. They will need to verify their SSN and birthdate to do so. For clients without SSNs, they simply need to identify that nuance and provide birthdate. The block on these cards will be removed within 24 hours of the confirmed request.
Even though EBT ATM withdrawal blocking is not being implemented in California or Santa Barbara County, we want to make you aware that cardholders traveling or planning to travel to Florida, Georgia, or New Jersey and needing to access their benefits via ATM will need to call the EBT customer service line at (877) 328-9677 and request an exception for their card in that particular state.
Also, the (877) 328-9677 customer service number may be used by cardholders to report suspicious activity at any time.
We will continue to monitor the situation.
