Memphis Families Watch SNAP Vanish While Mississippi and Arkansas Clamp Down

As summer food money hits SNAP cards, some Memphis families say it is gone almost as fast as it arrives. Residents are reporting that their Electronic Benefit Transfer accounts have been quietly drained by thieves, leaving them scrambling to cover basic groceries just as kids are home from school. The jump in complaints comes while nearby states are rolling out tighter controls on how and where EBT cards can be used.

Mississippi turns on ConnectEBT locks

Starting June 11, Mississippi will roll out a ConnectEBT mobile app for SNAP clients that includes a card-lock button, tools to change PINs, and settings that let users limit when their card can be used, according to the Mississippi Department of Human Services. When the update takes effect, online and out-of-state SNAP purchases will be turned off by default. Local station WLBT reports that officials hope those built-in limits will make it tougher for scammers to cash out stolen benefits across state lines.

Arkansas orders PIN resets for Summer EBT

Across the river, the Arkansas Department of Human Services announced on May 30 that every Summer EBT recipient has to immediately reset the PIN on their card or it simply will not work, according to Arkansas DHS. The agency is telling families to use the official online portal or the EBT phone line to make the change, and to ignore any texts or emails fishing for card numbers or PINs. Arkansas officials say they are also working with USDA investigators to follow up on suspicious transactions tied to reported thefts.

Memphis families say benefits keep vanishing

In Memphis, residents say the problem is not abstract policy but empty fridges. Tjah Doss told FOX13 Memphis that more than $1,400 disappeared from her EBT account before she realized what was happening. Another shopper, Sharonda Smith, said a theft in 2024 pushed her to start locking her card after every single purchase. A third Memphis resident told FOX13 that someone even tried to run her card at a Kroger in Ohio but was blocked when the thief could not guess the PIN. Advocates say stories like these are piling up at precisely the time families lean hardest on SNAP, with kids home for the summer and school meals off the table.

Why states are moving now

Federal guidance and a wave of skimming and trafficking schemes have put pressure on states to speed up technical fixes to EBT systems. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service has laid out resources and timelines for switching to more secure chip-and-tap EBT cards and tightening rules for retailers. Watchdog reporting from Stateline notes that as federal replacement funds for stolen benefits have been scaled back, states and recipients are left absorbing more of the financial hit when fraud occurs. On the enforcement side, teams have been hunting down skimmers and suspect card terminals across the Mid-South in multi-agency operations aimed at shutting down rings that re-encode stolen EBT data, with regional sweeps in the Memphis metro documented by Action News 5.

Officials say SNAP users who suspect their benefits have been stolen should change their PINs immediately, use the ConnectEBT website or app to lock their cards between shopping trips, and report any suspicious activity to their state agency and local law enforcement. Mississippi provides a SNAP Benefit Theft report form and hotline on its fraud reporting page, while Arkansas offers detailed PIN-reset instructions and support specifically for Summer EBT recipients on its site. Both states are urging families to keep PINs private and to ignore unsolicited calls, texts, or emails asking for card information.