(COLORADO) — The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) is alerting people that Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) fraud is on the rise, and cardholders should take precautions to make sure their benefits aren’t stolen.

CDHS says that you should never share your PIN with anyone. People should not respond to unsolicited emails, texts, or calls asking for their EBT card or PIN, for example, messages that say the EBT card has been deactivated and the cardholder should respond with the car number and PIN. Legitimate calls or messages from CDHS will never ask for PINs.

Users can protect their benefits by freezing their EBT card to prevent new purchases, PIN changes, and ATM transactions if they suspect their account information has been compromised, and they can also block out-of-state or online transactions.

If anyone suspects suspicious activity related to their EBT account, they should:

Call EBT Customer Service at 1-888-328-2656 to change the PIN, order a new EBT card or access transaction information

Contact the local county Human Services office to report fraud

Contact local law enforcement to file an incident report as stolen benefits would be considered theft

Buying, selling, or otherwise misusing EBT benefits is a federal crime. Cardholders are ultimately responsible for their benefits and some lost or stolen EBT benefits cannot be replaced when the card and PIN are used.