A Tacoma woman is claiming someone skimmed her Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Food EBT card this past weekend.

Vanessa DeTarville is a mom of three who said when she went to a nearby Walmart where she lives, she was told her card had been used 11 times within the past hour.

DeTarville said she physically had her card with her and didn't understand what was happening. She added when she tried using her card the next day, her balance was only 30 cents.

DeTarville said she went to DSHS in Tacoma, where they told her that her benefits were stolen. “They told me that I needed to replace my EBT card because because my entire EBT benefits were compromised," she said.

DSHS added she needed to lock her account but they were not going to be able to give her the benefits back.

“She said 'it is what it is, go to a food bank.' I said 'how are you going to tell people to just go to a food bank when food banks can’t even provide right now?'" said DeTarville.

We reached out to DSHS where a spokesperson told KOMO News:

We are aware of cases where people’s EBT cards were accessed and benefits were stolen through skimming and phishing...DSHS is investigating with local and federal law enforcement partners, and developing systems to review our data to detect anomalies and red flags. Anyone using any kind of debit, credit or EBT card can be a target for skimming and phishing scams. Unlike credit cards or debit cards issued by financial institutions, EBT cards are not FDIC-insured/guaranteed. Federal and state rules prohibit the replacement of stolen benefits in most circumstances and for most programs, including SNAP/Basic Food benefits."

DSHS encourages people to protect their accounts by doing the following:

• Keep your EBT card PIN secret. Don’t share it with anyone outside your household. Be sure to cover the keypad when you enter your PIN on a machine.
• Don’t share your EBT card number or PIN with anyone through phone or text. Phishing scams are rampant, especially through text messages.
• Check your EBT account regularly for unauthorized charges. If you notice any, change your PIN immediately to stop any new purchases.
• Check card-reading machines to make sure there’s nothing suspicious laid over the top or attached to the card swiper or keypad. Overlays can be hard to detect but are often bigger than the original machine and may hide parts of the machine.
• Use features offered by Washington's EBT card vendor at ebtEDGE.com to freeze and unfreeze a card as well as block out-of-state and online transactions.