Is This Real? Benefit Scams, EBT Card Skimming and What a Benefits Office Never Asks For

A call, text, email or website about your benefits is very likely a scam if it asks you to pay a fee to get or keep a benefit, asks for your PIN or for your Social Security number or bank details by text, email or social media, or threatens to cut you off, arrest you or report you to immigration unless you act right now. Applying for benefits is free, and a cost-of-living increase comes by itself. Do not answer the message: contact the agency yourself, with a number from its own website, your letter or the back of your card. And protect your EBT card, because SNAP stolen by card skimming after December 20, 2024 is no longer paid back by the federal program that used to replace it.

What does a real benefits office never ask for?

The agencies say it plainly on their own pages:

Social Security “will never ask for sensitive or personal information through social media, email, or text message” (SSA). Its cost-of-living increase is automatic: “beneficiaries do not need to register, apply, or otherwise activate the benefit increase” (SSA Office of the Inspector General, October 21, 2026).
The IRS starts most contacts by mail, and it does not call to demand immediate payment by “a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer”, or threaten to bring in “local police, immigration officers or other law-enforcement” (IRS).
A state Medicaid office: Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services, for example, says it does not ask for payment to process a Medicaid application or renewal except in limited cases such as a premium, and that it “will never ask for personal information in an unsolicited text message or phone call” (Pennsylvania DHS, October 4, 2023).
Energy bill help (LIHEAP) “does not provide direct grants to individuals” and “does not charge a fee for receiving a benefit”, says the federal office that funds it (HHS Administration for Children and Families). A message offering you a LIHEAP grant, or asking for a fee, is not from LIHEAP.

Keep your EBT card’s PIN to yourself. You choose it on the card’s own phone line or app, and states’ pages warn that benefits taken by someone who knows your PIN are not replaced (Florida DCF).

What are the common benefit scams right now?

These are the ones the agencies themselves have warned about:

“Activate your increase.” Someone says they are from Social Security and can raise your payment or “activate” the cost-of-living increase, then asks for a fee, a change to your direct deposit or your personal details. Social Security’s Inspector General says scammers may “send links to websites that look official” and even use the names of real employees (SSA OIG).
“Your coverage is at risk.” A message says your Medicaid or other health coverage is about to end and asks for payment details to keep it. Pennsylvania warned of exactly this: “a scammer implies that an individual’s health care coverage is in jeopardy and asks for their personal payment information to continue their coverage” (Pennsylvania DHS). Pennsylvania says it does not charge to process a renewal.
Card skimming. A hidden device on a store’s card reader copies EBT cards, and thieves spend the benefits with fake cards. More on this below.
Fake energy grants. An offer of a LIHEAP grant, or a fee to get one. LIHEAP does not pay people directly; your state or a local agency runs it.
Tax refund promises. The IRS warns about “a big payday”, bad tax advice on social media that leads people to claim credits they cannot get, “odd or misspelled web links”, and preparers who “charge large, upfront fees or a fee based on your refund amount” (IRS).
Immigration “helpers”. A notary public, or “notario”, offers to handle immigration papers. In the United States “notary publics are not attorneys and cannot represent you in legal matters, including immigration cases” (USCIS).

What is card skimming, and will my stolen SNAP be paid back?

Skimming is a theft of the card’s details, not of the card. Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services explains it in two steps: “Thieves place an illegal device on a retailer’s card-swiping machine to copy EBT card information. This is called card skimming.” Then “Criminals can then use the information to make fake EBT cards. This is called card cloning” (Georgia DFCS). You still have your card, but the benefits on it are gone.

For a while, federal law made states replace SNAP stolen this way. That law covered thefts from October 1, 2022, and a 2025 funding law moved its end to December 20, 2024. The next law did not extend it, so “SNAP benefits stolen after Dec. 20, 2024, are not eligible for replacement” (Georgia DFCS). States’ own pages say the same: Pennsylvania says benefits stolen after December 20, 2024 “cannot be reissued” by its human services department (Pennsylvania DHS), Iowa that “SNAP benefits that have been stolen cannot be replaced” (Iowa HHS), and Connecticut that it can replace a stolen card “but not the SNAP or cash benefits” (Connecticut DSS).

Some states still take claims for some benefits or for a short time. Oregon, for example, says it “may be able to replace stolen TANF benefits” if you contact it within 30 days of finding out (Oregon ODHS). Your state’s page on this site gives its own words under “Lost or stolen”, with the page and the day we checked it.

How do I protect my EBT card?

Keep your PIN secret and change it often, in the card’s app or on its phone line. Nevada’s page suggests changing it every month before your benefits arrive (Nevada DSS).
Lock the card when you are not using it, if your state’s card app allows it, and unlock it just before you shop. Georgia says people who think they have been skimmed “should lock or replace their card immediately” (Georgia DFCS).
Turn off what you do not use. From October 22, 2026, Georgia mails new and replacement cards inactive, with online and out-of-area purchases blocked until you unlock them (Georgia DFCS).
Check your balance and recent purchases on the card’s own website, app or phone line, so you notice a theft quickly.
Take care online: Georgia asks customers to use caution with the EBT card for online purchases. Use only the store’s and the card’s own websites.
Report a lost card or a theft at once, on your state’s EBT line (it is on the back of the card and on your state’s page here). Delaware’s page, for example, says benefits taken before you call to freeze the account will not be replaced (Delaware DSS).

Do some states have chip cards now?

Yes, some do, and more are changing. Oklahoma says it “is replacing SNAP cards with new chip-enabled cards to improve security” (Oklahoma Human Services), and Virginia “began issuing new chip-enabled SNAP EBT cards in September 2026” (Virginia DSS). New Jersey’s replacement cards are chip and tap cards, which its county offices cannot print, so you order one from EBT customer service (New Jersey Human Services). If you get a call or text about a new chip card, check it on your state’s own page or EBT line before you do anything.

How can I tell a real website, text or call from a fake?

Look up the number yourself. Hang up, then call the number on your letter, the back of your card, or the agency’s own website. Do not call back a number from the message.
Check the web address before you type anything. Government websites often end in .gov, as state pages say in their own banners. Some real state benefit sites do not (Connecticut’s health coverage sign-up, for example, is on accesshealthct.com, which its .gov page links to), so the safe path is to start from the state’s .gov page and follow its link. Your state’s page on this site lists the addresses each state’s own pages give.
Watch for pressure. A demand to act today, to pay by gift card, wire or app, or a threat of arrest or deportation, is what scammers do, as the IRS says.
Do not tap links in a text you did not expect. Pennsylvania’s human services department says its own texts will not include “a request for specific personal information” or links to unofficial sites.
Go to the agency directly. Type the agency’s address yourself, or use the links on this site, which go to the agency’s own page.

Is a new government payment I heard about real?

Check the agency’s own website before you believe it, and before you give anyone anything. This site never prints a payment date or amount that the agency has not published itself. Two facts help with many rumours: Social Security’s yearly increase is automatic, so no one can sign you up for it, and LIHEAP pays no grants directly to people. A real new program will be on the agency’s own .gov website, and applying for it will be free. The payment dates page shows the dates the agencies’ own rules give.

How do I report a scam?

Social Security: report it at ssa.gov/scam, or call the SSA Inspector General’s fraud hotline, 1-800-269-0271, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern (SSA OIG).
Fake energy grants (LIHEAP): the HHS fraud hotline, 1-800-447-8477 (HHS ACF).
Immigration scams, notarios and fake consultants: the Justice Department’s immigration court fraud program, by email to EOIR.Fraud.Program@usdoj.gov (EOIR).
EBT theft or a stolen card: your state’s EBT line first (on the back of the card and on your state’s page here), then the fraud line your state names on its own website or on your card’s website.
Money lost or identity stolen: Georgia, for example, asks people to file a police report with local law enforcement.

What if I already gave out my information?

Act quickly, in this order. Lock or replace your EBT card and change its PIN, on the card’s own line or app. Call the agency on a number you looked up yourself and tell it what happened; ask it to check your account, your address and your direct deposit. For Social Security, the Inspector General suggests a my Social Security account “to prevent misuse and manage your benefits”. If money is gone or you think someone is using your identity, file a police report. Then report the scam on the lines above, so others are warned.

Is this website real?

Benefits Calculator is an independent website. It is not a government website and it cannot approve, change or pay any benefit. We never ask for your name, your Social Security number, your case number or your bank details, and the calculator works in your own browser and sends nothing. Our links go straight to each agency’s own page, and every number we print shows the page it came from and the day we checked it. If a message claims to be from us and asks you for anything, it is not from us.

211. Dial 211 for free help finding local services. It is run by local nonprofit groups, not the government.
Free legal aid. The Legal Services Corporation's finder shows the legal aid office for your address.
Free tax help. IRS-trained volunteers (VITA and TCE): 800-906-9887 or the IRS page with the site finder.
Immigration legal help. The Justice Department's list of recognized organizations, by state.

Sources: About 211 (United Way Worldwide (211.org), a nonprofit); I Need Legal Help (Legal Services Corporation); Free tax return preparation for qualifying taxpayers (Internal Revenue Service); Recognition and Accreditation Roster Reports (Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Department of Justice). Checked November 1, 2026.

Figures checked October 31, 2026. Scam warnings and state pages checked November 1, 2026.

Questions people ask

Will the government ever text or call me about my benefits?

Some offices do send reminders by text or phone. Pennsylvania, for example, says it sends informational texts and calls, but that they will not include details of your benefits or ask for personal information. If a message asks for those, contact the office on a number you looked up yourself.

Can someone charge me to apply for SNAP or Medicaid?

Applying is free, and you can apply yourself on the state’s own website, by phone, by mail or at an office: your state’s page here lists them. Pennsylvania’s Medicaid office, for example, says it does not ask for payment to process an application or renewal except in limited cases such as a premium.

Is a notario allowed to fill in my immigration papers?

A notary public in the United States is not a lawyer and cannot represent you in an immigration case (USCIS). Free or low-cost help comes from the nonprofit groups on the Justice Department’s list of recognized organizations; your state’s page here says where your state is on that list.

My SNAP was stolen from my card. Will my state pay it back?

Probably not, if it was stolen after December 20, 2024, because the federal program that paid for replacements has ended. A few states take claims for some benefits; your state’s page here quotes what its own page says. Report the theft and get a new card at once, so no more is taken.

Updated November 1, 2026