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RALEIGH — More than $554,000 in food benefit dollars have been stolen from North Carolina’s Food and Nutrition Services participants since Aug. 18.

No further fraudulent activity has been reported since Sept. 6 when NCDHHS implemented a block on online transactions originating from Connecticut, Florida, and New York that appeared to be tied to fraudulent activity.

The surge in stolen benefits is related to online transactions that took place at BJ’s Wholesale Club and was disproportionately impacting participants with higher balances.

NCDHHS has been cooperating with federal, state and local law enforcement since October 2022 when FNS participants nationwide started being targeted by criminals who were stealing Electronic Benefit Transfer cards through various methods of card skimming, card cloning and fraudulent transactions. Since October 2022, more than $2.7 million in FNS benefits have been reported stolen in North Carolina.

Food and Nutrition Services participants whose benefits were stolen on or before Sept. 30, 2024, can submit a request to have eligible benefits reimbursed by submitting a signed affidavit by mail, fax, in-person or over the phone to their county department of social services. Once the claim is processed, the client will be sent a new EBT card in the mail (typically within 3-5 business days) and will receive replacement benefits the next calendar day. SUN Bucks benefits that have been stolen cannot be replaced.

For more about information EBT theft and how to report stolen benefits, go to the NCDHHS Card Skimmers and Stolen FNS Benefits webpage.

NCDHHS recommends individuals using EBT cards take the following actions to keep their EBT card and account secure:

Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. You can check your balance and/or replace a lost or stolen EBT card by visiting www.ebtedge.com, using the EBT Edge mobile app or contacting the North Carolina EBT Call Center at 1-888-622-7328.

Select a “difficult” PIN (i.e., not 1234 or 4444). While this may not prevent card skimming, it is a recommended safety practice.

If you suspect card skimming, freeze your EBT card when not shopping so fraudulent purchases cannot be made using your card.

Block out-of-state and online purchases from your EBT Edge accounts or the mobile app.

Check card reading machines in stores to make sure there is nothing suspicious overlayed or attached to the card swiper.

Contact law enforcement to report the stolen benefits.

Call the EBT Call Center at 1-888-622-7328 to request a new EBT card at no cost. Note: the new card will not contain funds that were stolen from the previous card. Clients must make a claim to receive replacement benefits.

Change the PIN to the EBT card regularly using a new number each time.