MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama's Department of Human Resources on Friday announced a planned outage of the state's EBT system as it works to improve security and thwart a rash of thefts.
Systems were upgraded during the downtime, from Saturday at 10 p.m. through Sunday at 6 a.m. During this time, EBT cards and retail EBT terminals were temporarily offline.
A legislative committee approved a $6 million contract Thursday to address what has been a growing problem. In November alone, officials estimate 14,000 families were affected by EBT thefts.
The contract with Conduent State and Local Solutions, Inc., calls for improvements that include the implementation of chip cards, which provide an extra layer of security over magnetic stripe cards.
Earlier this week, DHR asked recipients of food benefits to be extra vigilant to help prevent fund theft. Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner issued a statement which, in part, says, "We are asking the public to stay vigilant when shopping ... if you see anything suspicious, immediately report it to the retailer." Buckner also says her team "is working hard to process reimbursement claims timely and get our clients some relief - but we need everyone's help to stop these criminals."
Information such as ZIP code, date of birth and card numbers are used to make changes to existing accounts. For those FOX54 spoke with in the Huntsville area on Sunday, the overall security of this personal information has come into question and they feel more measures, like security questions, should be put in place.
"One of the things they said is that we need to change our PIN numbers," said Huntsville resident Rodneisha McMillan. "Well, if people have access to your information and they have your zip code and your birthday, they can just call in and change the PIN number before you get the card. I don't see how the security measures that they have right now are helping."