Top 3 EPPICard Scams and How to Protect Yourself

The EPPICard is a prepaid debit card, usually issued under the Visa or MasterCard brand that is used by various states to send funds for child support, unemployment, and other benefits to recipients. The convenience of the card is that funds are automatically loaded onto the card, making it easy for recipients to access their funds. All EPPICards are managed by Xerox-owned Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), but each state has a contract with a bank to issue its own card. Recently, EPPICard holders have been targeted for fraud, prompting several states to issue fraud alerts to their cardholders. However, the problem persists and the scams continue to grow in complexity. Here are the top 3:

1. Phishing emails

Phishing emails involve receiving an email asking you to log into your account and check your account status. There is usually a link in the email that you are asked to click to verify your account information. Once you click on the link, it takes you to a fake site where your account information is illegally captured while you are trying to log into your EPPICard account.

To avoid this scam, do not respond to suspicious emails that ask you to verify your account information. If the email appears to be legitimate, please call your EPPICard Customer Service to confirm before clicking any links to check your account status.

2. Fraudulent Card Charges

This type of fraud occurs when thieves obtain a person’s EPPICard card information and start spending the funds on the card. In most cases, the entire balance on the EPPICard is spent before the cardholder is aware of the problem. A recent example is documented by the New Jersey Star-Ledger where the Newark, NJ cardholder’s account information was illegally obtained and used to purchase items at Staples in Washington DC totaling $600. The cardholder found out about the illegal transactions when his card was denied when he tried to make a purchase. That led her to verify her card transactions, which led her to discover the fraudulent purchases. These types of fraud are difficult to combat, even if the cardholder can prove that he did not use the card. Therefore, it is important to protect the information on your EPPICard.

To avoid this type of fraud, do not log into your EPPICard account from public computer stations, such as libraries and Internet cafes. Also, be careful when using free public Wi-Fi to access your account information. Also, keep an eye on your EPPICard transactions and practice sound financial record disposal, including shredding your statements and other sensitive financial documents instead of throwing them away.

3. Text message fraud

Text message fraud is the newest form of EPPICard fraud, where cardholders who have signed up to receive balance alerts via their mobile phones receive text messages believed to be from EPPICard luring them into provide sensitive personal information, which is then used to deplete funds from your account or in the case of social security and date of birth information – used to perpetrate identity theft.

To avoid this type of fraud, always be cautious when receiving any communication, whether by text, email or phone, asking you to verify account status or provide sensitive information to confirm account status . The best way to handle these types of requests is to call the card issuer’s official customer service number; in this case, you will call EPPICard Customer Service and verify if the request you received is legitimate. If it’s a legitimate request, insist on checking with them while you’re on the phone. That way, you don’t have to click a link to verify your information, especially if you don’t trust the security of your computer or mobile device.