Feature Allows Users to Lock EBT Cards When Not in Use

April 4, 2025

(TRENTON) – Human Services today announced a new security feature that allows individuals who receive cash and food assistance benefits to lock their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards to protect against the national problem of skimming.

Residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) benefits can use the new EBT Lock/Unlock tool on the NJFamiliesFirst.com website or the ConnectEBT app to lock their EBT cards when they are not in use. Choosing the “Lock My Card Everywhere” option blocks all purchases while your card is locked. Residents will still receive benefits or refunds — even if their card is locked — but no online or in-store purchases can be made.

"With this new tool, residents can now proactively safeguard their benefits from scammers. This feature ensures that, between purchases, cards are secure and protected from potential theft. I encourage all residents who receive SNAP or WFNJ benefits to start using this feature immediately,” said Commissioner Sarah Adelman.

“This new feature is a vital step in protecting the benefits of those who rely on them,” said Deputy Commissioner for Social Services Michael J. Wilson. “By giving residents the ability to instantly lock their cards after every transaction, we can help reduce the risk of theft and provide a greater sense of security for families who depend on these critical resources.”

Theft of SNAP household benefits has been on the rise nationwide. This feature is part of a broader effort by Human Services to enhance card security and protect households against electronic benefit theft. The Fiscal Year 2025 budget also includes $1.7 million to provide households with new EBT cards that have embedded microchips.

Benefits can be electronically stolen through skimming, which involves illegally attaching a device to a point-of-sale machine to steal EBT card information or a PIN; cloning, which involves copying stolen EBT card information to a new card; or scamming, where individuals are convinced to disclose their EBT card information, often through fraudulent phone calls or text messages that appear to be from an official government agency (commonly known as phishing).

To lock their cards on the ConnectEBT app, individuals should click on “Lock/Unlock Card,” select “Lock My Card Everywhere,” then tap “Ok.”

To lock their cards on the NJFamiliesFirst.com website, individuals should click on “Lock/Unlock Card” in the top right corner, select “Lock My Card Everywhere,” and click “Submit.”

For more information about how to use this new feature, visit here.

“This simple yet effective feature provides an extra layer of security that can be activated on the go. We are glad we can make this available to residents so they can avoid falling victim to scammers,” said Assistant Commissioner Natasha Johnson, who directs Human Services’ Division of Family Development, which is responsible for the SNAP program.

On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act into law, allowing states to replenish lost benefits. Prior to this law being signed, states had no authority to replace benefits that had been stolen from a SNAP household. The program to replace electronically stolen benefits was launched in New Jersey in July 2023. The program allowed for the replacement of benefits stolen since October 2022 through the end of September 2024.

The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 revised the end date of the benefit theft period from Sept. 30, 2024, to Dec. 20, 2024. The American Relief Act, 2025 did not extend this authority for benefits stolen beyond December 20, 2024. As a result, New Jersey is unable to use federal or state funds to restore SNAP or WFNJ cash assistance benefits stolen on or after December 21, 2024, unless federal funding and spending authority is reinstated.

Since the replacement program started in New Jersey, $11 million in electronically stolen benefits have been replaced in response to about 23,000 claims.

As of February 2025, there are around 817,000 New Jersey residents enrolled in SNAP.

You can apply for SNAP online, in-person or by calling your local County Social Services Agency or through a SNAP Navigator. For more information about SNAP, visit NJSNAP.gov.