what they told me is there is no way to tell if a machine has a skimmer!!! i only use my card at safeway now. no more corner stores or gas stations.

This is so scary - I had no idea EBT skimming was this widespread! Reading everyone's experiences makes me realize I need to be way more careful with my card. I always thought those warnings about checking card readers were just for credit cards. For anyone dealing with this right now, I found out that some food pantries don't require any paperwork or waiting periods - you can literally just show up and get groceries the same day while you're waiting for your benefits to be restored. The Salvation Army and Catholic Charities usually have emergency food programs. Also, if you have kids, call 211 - they can connect you to local resources for families in crisis situations. Stay safe everyone and thanks for sharing your stories. This community really helps us look out for each other! 💙

Update: Just got off the phone with the P-EBT hotline (finally!) and wanted to share what I learned. The rep confirmed that T-Z last names will start seeing benefits July 16-30, with most being processed during the first week of that window. She also said that all three of my kids should get their benefits loaded on the same day, which is good news. For anyone else waiting - they suggested checking your EBT balance every morning during your alphabetical window as benefits are typically loaded overnight. Thanks everyone for your help!

This is so helpful! I'm in the same boat with a Z last name and two kids in elementary. I've been stressing about when these benefits would come through since I'm trying to plan summer meals and activities. It's really frustrating that they don't just release them all at once, but at least now I know to expect them in the second half of July. Going to set a reminder to start checking my EBT balance daily starting July 16th. Thanks for calling and sharing what you found out!

hey, did u ever get this resolved?? im curious what happened

I'm so glad to hear you got your benefits replaced! This is exactly why we need to spread awareness about EBT skimming - it's happening way too often. For anyone else reading this thread, another tip I learned from my county worker: if you shop at the same stores regularly, ask the manager about their card reader security. Some stores are better than others at updating their systems to prevent skimming devices. Also, if you see anything suspicious about a card reader (loose parts, different colors, etc.) don't use it and report it to the store immediately. Thanks for sharing your experience and keeping everyone informed!

Thank you for the update! I checked BenefitsCal again and it still shows our cards are on the way. Fingers crossed they arrive soon!

I'm also waiting on P-EBT cards for my two kids! Been checking the mail every day since the 15th and nothing yet. It's so frustrating not knowing when they'll actually arrive. My kids' school sent home a notice saying all eligible families should receive them by the end of the month, but like you said, some neighbors already got theirs. I'm going to try checking BenefitsCal like others mentioned here - didn't even know you could track the status online! Hopefully we'll all get some answers soon. The uncertainty is the worst part when you're trying to budget for groceries.

this is definatly some kind of scam!!! my cousin got hacked after clicking on something like this and they stole all her benefits!!! don't click ANY links about EBT stuff from facebook or anywhere!!!!

As someone new to CalFresh, this is really scary to hear about! I almost clicked on a similar Facebook link last week but something felt off about it. Thank you everyone for confirming this is a scam - I'm going to screenshot this thread to show my family members who are also on benefits. Just to add: if anyone is unsure about ANY communication claiming to be from CalFresh/EBT, the safest thing is to log into your actual BenefitsCal account or call the official number on the back of your card. Better to be cautious than lose your benefits to scammers!