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SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Some Georgia EBT cardholders are still not able to use their cards after a call center was the victim of a cyberattack in late July.
“I am retired and on a fixed income I can’t afford to buy food because I don’t have any cash,” a viewer wrote into Tuesday.
The attack shut down the Georgia’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system on July 28.
Nearly a month later, some EBT cardholders in Chatham County are still reporting issues accessing their funds.
“Money is on the card, but when going to the grocery store it’s unusable. It will say either invalid, or lost card,” another viewer told in an email.
Chatham County DFACS confirmed to that they were having issues due to the cyberattack.
Many SNAP cardholders used the IVR call system to keep track of their account balances and card transactions. After the attack, the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children Services (DFACS) advised cardholders to download the ConnectEBT app on their devices and lock their cards.
They have not released another public statement on their website since Aug. 5. NBC’s 11Alive in Atlanta reported that users were supposed to be issued new cards, but some of those new cards also aren’t working.
With the call center still down, an alert remains on DHS’s website directing clients who need assistance with their card to contact the DHS Customer Contact Center at 1-877-423-4746 or email DHS Constituent Services at customerservicedhs@dhs.ga.gov.
DFACS also said that cardholders who have trouble accessing the app can log in to their account via the ConnectEBT website to lock and unlock their cards, reset their password and register for an account.