Arkansans receiving federal food aid this summer required to reset PINs as fraud prevention measure

Recipients of a low-income federal child nutrition program must reset their personal identification numbers following reports of stolen benefits, the state Department of Human Services announced Saturday. Families enrolled in the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program must reset their PINs in order to reactivate their cards, a measure intended to "prevent additional fraudulent activity," the department said in a news release. "Stealing benefits meant to feed children during the summer is a despicable and heinous crime, and the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is outraged that some families in our state have been victimized," DHS Secretary Janet Mann said in the release. "We know that resetting the PIN may present an inconvenience to families, but this is a necessary step to thwart ongoing fraud." Officials have identified uses of Summer EBT cards in states including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania that they considered to be likely fraudulent, according to the release.

The department said in the release it was unsure about the scale or method of the reported thefts but noted that officials were working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate reports. "We continue to urge beneficiaries to protect their account information, to change their PIN frequently, and to only enter information into the official Arkansas EBT portal and app," said Mary Franklin, director of the DHS Division of County Operations, in the release. "While we have no indication that this is tied to a larger systemwide breach, we are also conducting an in-depth internal investigation and have reached out to our vendor that creates and issues the EBT cards and asked for assurance that there is no compromise in their process or system." Eligible families can reset their PINs online or via the EBT call line at (800) 997-9999.