03/18/2025
Action Memo
Summary:
- Due to significant increases in fraudulent activities targeting Illinois Link cardholders, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is implementing measures to enhance the protection for customers.
- Effective 03/15/2025, IDHS will prohibit Link cardholders from selecting guessable Personal Identification Numbers (PINs).
In recent years, there has been an increase in fraudulent activities targeting Illinois Link cardholders which has led to unauthorized access and theft of SNAP and Cash benefits. The fraudulent methods include electronic theft techniques such as skimming, scams, and advanced data mining. In response to these security concerns, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is implementing measures to enhance the protection of customers.
Effective 03/15/2025, Link cardholders will be prohibited from selecting easily guessable Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). This initiative aims to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to Link card accounts.
The following PINs are deemed easily guessable and will be blocked from selection:
- 0000, 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004, 0005, 1111, 1234, 2222, 3333, 4444, 1212, 7777, 4321, 1122, 3456, 1004, 2000, 6969, 9999
Cardholders currently using any of the prohibited PINs may continue to do so until they choose to change their PIN. There is no mandatory requirement for immediate PIN change.
PIN Selection Attempts
Link Card Hotline: when attempting to select a prohibited PIN, cardholders will hear a message stating,:"Your State does not allow selection of PINs that are easy to guess, such as 1234, or all of the same numbers, such as all 1s. Please select a different PIN."
ebtEDGE Application/Website: Users attempting to select a prohibited PIN will receive an error message: "Error. Please enter a PIN that is not easy to guess. PINs that are easy to guess, include, 1234, 111, etc."
ebtEDGE Web Admin/Worker Portal: Staff assisting clients will see a prompt stating: "Please enter a PIN that is not easy to guess. PINs that are easy to guess, include 1234, 1111, etc".
Family Community Resource Center (FCRC)
FCRC staff should ensure customers are informed about the new security measures and understand the importance of selecting secure PINs. Staff should also report any issues or irregularities observed during the security implementation.
Additional Security Recommendations
Customers should also be reminded to change their PINs periodically to enhance security; freeze Link cards when not in use; monitor account activity by checking balances and transaction histories for any unauthorized activities; and block out of state transactions.
[signed copy on file]
Dulce M. Quintero
Secretary, Illinois Department of Human Services
