Arkansas unveils new app aimed at protecting food stamp recipients from scammers

The Arkansas Department of Human Services will launch a new app next week that will better protect food stamp beneficiaries from scammers, the agency announced Thursday.

The ebtEDGE New app will launch Monday as part of DHS’ switch from Conduent to Fidelity Information Services as the vendor that manages the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefit Transfer system, known as SNAP EBT.

Division of County Operations Director Mary Franklin said the state switched vendors as part of DHS’ regularly scheduled competitive re-procurement process.

While Arkansas was changing vendors, Arkansas’ SNAP benefits were targeted for theft, Franklin said in a news conference. She said she did not know exactly how many EBT cardholders were targeted.

“Earlier in the summer, we saw a large number of suspicious transactions, which caused us at that time to work with our current EBT vendor and [enact] a reset of all the PIN numbers for those cards,” Franklin said.

Fidelity Information Services’ app has extra safety features to prevent fraud, such as blocking out-of-state purchases with EBT cards and locking a card when not using it, according to a DHS news release.

SNAP recipients can download ebtEDGE New only from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store or by visiting ar.gov/snap. 

Arkansas launches mobile app to navigate new food stamps junk food ban

The new app is DHS’ second in a month related to SNAP. The agency in June launched AR SNAP Companion, which allows users to scan grocery items with their phone cameras to learn whether a product can be purchased with food stamps.

Arkansas is one of several states that received federal permission to ban the use of SNAP funds to purchase soda, candy, juices with less than 50% natural juice and other highly processed foods. The ban went into effect July 1.

Experts have raised concerns that the increased digitization of SNAP, including the use of apps, makes food aid more difficult for senior citizens and other technologically challenged groups to access.