Resources for SNAP customers

How SNAP Customers Can Protect Their Benefits from Theft/Fraud 

Georgia DHS urges customers to protect their benefits by following these tips: 

  • Lock your EBT card between purchases via the existing ConnectEBT website or by using the new ConnectEBT app available on Android and Apple devices. Instructions are available on the website and in the app. 
  • Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you see any, change your PIN right away to stop the thief from making new purchases, and report suspicious activity to DHS. 
  • Change your PIN often, including right before your benefit issuance date. 
  • NEVER share sensitive information with an unsolicited requestor. 
  • Be wary of publicly posting information like birthdays, children or pet names, workplaces, where you grew up, and other personal historical information on social media. Doing so can let scammers successfully answer challenge questions and reset passwords on your accounts without needing to interact with you at all. 
  • Maintain strong, unique passwords for their Georgia Gateway accounts and never share personal account information with anyone who is not a designated caregiver. 
  • Along those same lines, keep your PIN and card number secret and cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.  
  • Save DHS’s primary phone number – 877-423-4746 – in your phone contacts. That way, when you need to reach us, you’ll have the correct phone number immediately available to you. 
  • If you suspect that a call you receive is a scam, hang up and call DHS directly using the phone number you saved in your contacts. 
  • If you suspect that an email, text message, website, or social media page/account is a scam, don’t open any links or attachments that you see. Instead, call DHS directly or go to our website – dhs.georgia.gov. 
  • Change your PIN often, including right before your benefit issuance date. You can change your PIN by logging into your online account at connectebt.com/ebtconnect/recipient/GA. You can also call 1-888-421-3281 and follow the prompts to change your PIN.

Georgians who think they’ve been the victim of card skimming, card cloning, or other similar fraud involving their public benefits should lock or replace their card immediately and then report the incident to the DHS Office of Inspector General at [email protected] or 877-423-4746, option 6.