Recordpub.com - Portage agency warns of scam

By Dave O'Brien

Record-Courier staff writer

The Portage County and Ohio departments of Job and Family Services are warning of two scams being used to attempt to obtain confidential information from users of electronic bank transfer child support benefit cards.

Anita Herington, director of the county Department of Job and Family Services, said she received a notice from the Ohio JFS Office of Child Support warning that the holder of an EBT card recently was contacted via e-mail requesting verification of confidential account information, including a personal identification number.

A Web site the cardholder was directed to, eppicard.com, appeared to be the legitimate e-QuickPay Web site but was not, according to the Ohio JFS. Such scams are known as "phishing," whereby personal banking, Social Security or other financial information is requested through e-mail for the purposes of identity theft.

A second cardholder also was contacted by a telemarketer selling magazine subscriptions with the opportunity to enter a $25,000 sweepstakes. The caller seemed to know the client had recently received their benefits card and solicited personal information over the phone.

Neither case occurred in Portage County, which has more than 10,000 custodial parents who receive child support payments through the EBT card, Herington said.

"We would never ask for (a client's) PIN number. That's the security, so that's what really set the bells off for me," she said. "When somebody is trying under inappropriate means to get the private PIN, I don't feel good about that at all."

According to Ohio JFS, cardholders should never give out their PIN, never keep anything with their PIN written on it and never write their PIN on their card. State and county JFS or child support enforcement agencies also will never contact a cardholder by phone or e-mail to request or verify confidential information, Ohio JFS said.

A notice posted Thursday on eppicard.com -- which is not used by Ohio JFS -- warns users of the phishing scams. A notice also has gone out on Fraud Watch International's Web site, www.fraudwatchinternational.com/phishing, a clearing house for information and notices about such scams.

Other tips for keeping information confidential include:

* being careful about what Web sites you visit,

* never giving out personal information over the phone, mail or Internet, and

* calling e-QuickPay customer service at 800-503-1283 if you suspect fraud.