Ohio AG: Scammers targeting state's needy

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today warned Ohioans who use the Ohio EPPICard program to access public assistance cash benefit payments such as Ohio Works First and Disability Financial Assistance, that they could now be the target of a new scam.

Since the beginning of May, the attorney general's office has received 10 complaints from Ohioans who have reported scams involving these public assistance debit cards.

"In most of the complaints that we received, consumers were contacted through text messages," said Cordray. "They were told that their EPPICard had been frozen and that they needed to call a phone number. After calling the number, the consumers were prompted to enter account and pin numbers. This is a typical phishing scam, and under no circumstances should consumers ever provide account information to unidentified sources."

"The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will never text or call consumers asking for personal information," said ODJFS Director Douglas Lumpkin. "Anyone who receives such a message should contact the attorney general."

Ohio EPPICard provides benefit payments from programs such as Ohio Works First, Ohio Works First Work Allowance, Ohio Refugee Cash Assistance and Disability Financial Assistance, allowing recipients to access their benefit payments using a prepaid debit card.

The scam has been noted in various parts of central Ohio, including reports from Chillicothe, Columbus, Mount Sterling, Pataskala, Marysville, Delaware, Newark and Lancaster.