Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh is reminding Pennsylvanians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to remain vigilant in protecting their EBT cards and personal information

The department is warning people about skimming, which is the act of applying a device to a point-of-sale machine or an ATM in an effort to read a card’s magnet strip, gather its data, and create a cloned card.

DHS is aware of reports of stolen SNAP benefits in the Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania region due to card skimming devices and has referred these reports to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees SNAP and SNAP retailers nationwide.

Pennsylvanians are urged to take an extra look before scanning their card at POS machine to ensure there is no skimming attachment.

The FBI recommends the following when using a POS terminal:

• Inspect POS terminals, ATMs, and other card readers before using. Look for anything loose, crooked, damaged, or scratched. Don’t use any card reader if you notice anything unusual.

• Pull at the edges of the keypad before entering your PIN. Then, cover the keypad when you enter your PIN to prevent cameras from recording your entry.

• Use ATMs in a well-lit, indoor location, which are less vulnerable targets.

• Be alert for skimming devices in tourist areas, which are popular targets.

• Use debit and credit cards with chip technology. In the U.S., there are fewer devices that steal chip data versus magnetic strip data.

• Avoid using your debit card when you have linked accounts. Use a credit card instead.

• Contact your financial institution if the ATM doesn’t return your card after you end or cancel a transaction.

Report any potential skimming activity by calling the DHS fraud tip line at 1-844-DHS-TIPS (1-844-347-8477) or making a report through the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) website. Pennsylvanians can keep an eye out for current scams and phishing attempts on DHS’ Scam page.