Oregon Resumes Normal SNAP Benefit Schedule as State Responds to Major EBT Skimming Incident on the South Coast

Oregon — The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is returning SNAP food benefits to its normal monthly schedule in December after federal shutdown disruptions delayed November payments. Officials emphasized SNAP’s economic significance, noting that each dollar generates between $1.50 and $1.80 in local activity and contributes roughly $1.6 billion to Oregon’s economy annually.

“Every month hundreds of thousands of children, older adults and hard-working families and individuals depend on getting their SNAP food benefits on time to get enough food,” ODHS Director Liesl Wendt said. After last month’s uncertainty, she urged EBT cardholders to take basic security steps such as changing PINs, locking cards, and blocking online or out-of-state purchases.

SNAP, which is fully federally funded, currently supports more than one in six Oregonians—about 18% of households.

Large-scale EBT card skimming detected

ODHS also confirmed it had disabled and replaced more than 1,300 EBT cards this week after identifying widespread card-skimming activity in the Coos Bay and North Bend area. On Dec. 2, the agency turned off 1,350 compromised cards after detecting fraudulent devices attached to payment machines.

Households affected were automatically issued replacement cards, expected to arrive by mail within five days. Anyone needing an immediate replacement can visit a local ODHS office.

What to do if your card stops working

ODHS advises cardholders to first check their balance at ebtEDGE.com or through the official mobile app.

If the balance is lower than expected, benefits may have been stolen.

If the balance is correct but the card isn’t working, ODHS may have shut it off to prevent fraud.

Cardholders can call the ONE Customer Service Center at 800-699-9075 or contact their local ODHS office to confirm.

The agency noted that most theft occurs at the beginning of each month, immediately after SNAP and TANF benefits are loaded. Criminals often use skimmers, online scams, or fake websites to steal card numbers and PINs before draining accounts through online or out-of-state transactions.

Recommended steps to protect EBT benefits

ODHS outlined several protective measures for all cardholders:

Use only the official ebtEDGE website and app.

Freeze your card between uses.

Block out-of-state and online transactions using “Protect My Account.”

Change PINs regularly.

Keep PINs private and shield PIN entry at payment terminals.

Inspect card readers for signs of tampering.

Monitor accounts frequently and report unauthorized charges immediately.

Ignore unsolicited texts requesting EBT information.

More resources—including brochures, videos, and multilingual materials—are available at benefits.oregon.gov.

TANF theft replacement available; SNAP replacement not authorized

ODHS can replace TANF benefits stolen through fraud if families report within 30 days.
However, the agency emphasized that it cannot replace stolen SNAP benefits because federal replacement funding expired on Dec. 21, 2024.

Information on TANF replacement and EBT security tools is available at:
https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/benefits/Pages/protect.aspx