EBT Transaction Protection and Security

Protecting your Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) account is crucial to safeguard your benefits from theft and fraudulent activities. EBT theft can occur through card skimming, cloning, or other deceptive methods. To enhance the security of your account, follow these simple steps:

1. Change Your PIN Regularly: One of the easiest ways to protect your EBT account is by changing your Personal Identification Number (PIN) often. Avoid using common PINs such as 1111 or 1234.
2. Monitor Your Purchases and Balance: Review your purchases and account balance frequently to detect any suspicious activity.
3. To further combat benefit theft, the Department of Children and Families offers additional protections through the ebtEDGE platform.

To access the ebtEDGE Cardholder portal visit: https://cardholder.ebtedge.com
To download the ebtEDGE app visit: https://www.fisglobal.com/en/ebtedgemobile

Transaction Restrictions from ebtEDGE:

You can instantly secure your card and protect your benefits by enabling transaction restrictions from the ebtEDGE Cardholder Portal or mobile app. With the "Protect My Account" feature, you can set the following restrictions:

Block Out-of-state Transactions: Any Point-of-Sale (POS) transaction from a store outside of your state will be rejected. This includes online purchases with a delivery address outside your state.

Block Internet Transactions: The Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) system will block all online or mobile transactions.

To set these restrictions, log in to the ebtEDGE Cardholder Portal or the ebtEDGE mobile app and select "Protect My Account." From there, you can easily toggle the restrictions on or off as needed.

Card Freeze and Unfreeze:

To add an extra layer of protection, you can freeze your EBT card via the mobile app or ebtEDGE Cardholder Portal. When the card is frozen, no transactions can be completed. To unfreeze the card and enable transactions, you can easily reverse the process.

For more assistance in setting or removing these restrictions, call the phone number located on the back of your EBT card. Customer service representatives can guide you through the process, but they will not be able to change the restrictions on your behalf.

By proactively securing your EBT account and using the provided protections, you can significantly reduce the risk of benefit theft and ensure that your benefits remain safe and accessible when needed.