ATLANTA — Georgia officials confirmed Friday afternoon that a third-party call center used to help Georgians access their food stamp benefits had been subject of a cyberattack.
Conduent’s Electronic Benefits Transfer Interactive Voice Response phone system was hit with “an unusual spike in inbound calls” on Monday and the company blocked the suspicious activity at the state’s request.
Now, the Georgia Department of Human Services says they’re temporarily closing the call center while the cyberattack is investigated.
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“Over the weekend, Conduent’s EBT IVR call center will be unavailable as the company continues its investigation,” DHS said in a statement.
Conduent told Channel 2 Action News on Friday afternoon that for now, customers and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries can lock access to their EBT cards between purchases with the ConnectEBT app, allowing them to choose where their cards are locked.
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DHS is also urging their customers to take action.
“For security reasons, we are imploring Georgians to immediately change their PINs and lock them when not in use. Since Conduent’s call center will be down, cardholders can instead use the ConnectEBT website or app to monitor their balance, deposits, transaction activity, and select or change a PIN,” officials said. “ConnectEBT also allows customers to choose where their cards are locked – everywhere, including Georgia, or only outside the State of Georgia.”
While benefits are potentially impacted, a metro Atlanta non-profit is stepping up to provide assistance for families in need.
Starting at 9 a.m., Outreach Mission, a food pantry based in Lawrenceville operated by Lynette Jackson, is opening its doors to help.
“We have steak, chicken, hamburgers, produce, deli, deli sandwiches, bread,” Jackson told Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco on Friday night.
Outreach Mission will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their location on 1294 Braselton Hwy, Lawrenceville, GA, 30043.
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