Harrisburg, PA - The Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Office of State Inspector General (OSIG) today are reminding Pennsylvanians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to change their EBT card PINs ahead of their monthly SNAP benefit distribution. This reminder is extremely timely, as thieves often strike right after a monthly benefits payment is made.

The reminder comes amid nationwide instances of SNAP theft, especially reports of card skimming, where SNAP benefits are stolen off EBT cards after skimming at a point-of-sale machine. But the actual theft of benefits rarely happens right away – thieves often hold on to stolen EBT card information until monthly distributions occur, when larger amounts of benefits can be stolen.

“We are constantly working to ensure that the benefits DHS administers stay with the Pennsylvanians who need them. The Department of Human Services is aware of skimming incidents that have been targeting SNAP recipients – card skimming and SNAP theft have been issues nationwide,” said DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “Do not become a victim of this crime. Make sure you change your PIN every month, and when you swipe your EBT card at a card reader, please make sure a skimming device is not attached.”

DHS refers suspected cases of SNAP theft to OSIG to further investigate.

Erie, PA (WJET/WFXP) - People throughout Erie County have continued to reach out searching for answers. This is after some are saying their SNAP benefit funds were stolen.

The main culprit? A device known as a card skimmer is thought to be behind the fraud.

One of the major problems with the situation right now, according to law enforcement, is that despite instances of this happening throughout the region, it’s apparently not being reported to police properly. This is a card skimmer.

They’re able to be attached to all kinds of payment stations or ATMs and with just one swipe, it can steal your payment information, and drain your accounts.

“We’re seeing this across the state and honestly across the country, is the theft of SNAP benefits,” said Brandon Cwalina, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. More than two million Pennsylvanians rely on SNAP benefits for food and once their funds for the month dry up after a theft, many people feel like they have nowhere to turn. And due to a recent congressional resolution, the Department of Human Services cannot reimburse people for funds stolen. But what you should be doing is reporting it to local police, requesting a replacement card, and changing your pin regularly around distribution days.

There are solutions being worked on to prevent theft as well.

NPR - Are you a lucky winner of a gift card? Maybe you have a surprise IRS refund waiting, or you need to click a link to verify your bank account. You might even owe toll charges from a state where you've never driven the highways.

Those scenarios are some of the most common pretexts used in spam texts, or "smishing," the use of SMS texts by scammers attempting to compromise data and pilfer money. And if you think the problem is getting worse, you're not wrong.

Americans received 19.2 billion spam texts in February — a sharp rise from last fall, according to Robokiller, a spam-blocking company. Another spam-blocker firm, Truecaller, said last year that 86% of Americans surveyed reported receiving spam texts.