Protect your benefits
SNAP scams: how to spot them
Fake posts, texts and calls try to get your EBT card number, PIN or personal data. The pattern is the same: an offer, a deadline and a request for data.
Scams to watch for
"Emergency SNAP" posts
Pennsylvania warned about a Facebook post offering "$750 in emergency SNAP benefits" through a Google form that asks for payment details. It also claimed a deadline: Pennsylvania says there is never an application deadline for SNAP.
Texts and calls asking for data
Pennsylvania says its texts never include benefit amounts, never ask for specific personal information and do not link to unofficial sites. Treat any text that asks for a card number or PIN as a scam.
Skimming and cloning
The USDA lists card skimming and card cloning among the ways criminals steal SNAP. Cover the keypad and check the card reader.
"Free grocery card" ads
Ads for a "free grocery card" are about Medicare plans, not SNAP. What that card really is.
Simple rules
- Applying for SNAP is free. Anyone who charges a fee is not your state.
- No agent needs your PIN.
- Apply only with your state agency. Where to apply.
- If you shared your PIN, call your state EBT line and change it right away.
Common questions
Does SNAP ever ask for my PIN?
No agent needs your PIN. If someone asks for it by phone, text or social media, do not answer: call the number on your card.
Is there a SNAP application deadline?
Pennsylvania says there is never an application deadline for SNAP. A post that says otherwise is a red flag.
Sources: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, warning about a SNAP benefits scam (pa.gov); USDA, SNAP Fraud Prevention (page updated September 8, 2026).
Independent guide. Not a government website. Not affiliated with USDA or any state agency. We do not take applications, and we never ask for your case number, card number or PIN. Amounts and rules can change: your state SNAP agency has the final word.