California CalFresh
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CalFresh benefits stolen from my EBT card - transactions in Fresno & New York! Will I get reimbursed?
I'm completely devastated right now. Just checked my EBT card balance and discovered all my saved CalFresh benefits (almost $2,100) have been STOLEN! According to my transaction history, there was 1 withdrawal in Fresno and then 4 different transactions in NEW YORK of all places! I've never even been to New York and haven't visited Fresno in at least 6 months!\n\nI immediately called the EBT customer service hotline and they said they'll send me a replacement card, but told me I need to contact my county office on Monday about the stolen benefits. I'm really panicking because I've been carefully saving those benefits for my family's food security, and now it's ALL GONE.\n\nHas anyone in Fresno County dealt with EBT theft before? Did you actually get your benefits back? How long did the process take? I'm seriously worried about feeding my kids while this gets resolved.
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Why am I not getting the extra $10 CalFresh emergency allotment everyone else got?
I'm so confused about my CalFresh benefits this month. My neighbor and my sister both told me they got an extra $10 added to their EBT cards because of some emergency allotment thing, but I didn't get anything extra. We're all in the same county and have similar household situations (single parents with 2 kids). Is there some kind of qualification for this extra amount that I'm missing? I already called the automated number and it just tells me my regular benefit amount. Should I be concerned that there's a problem with my case? Has anyone else NOT received this extra $10 who normally gets CalFresh?
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i think yr neighbors lying to u... there isnt any $10 extra that i know about... CalFresh always playing games with our benefits lol
The $10 emergency supplement is real, but it's only being distributed in certain counties that declared a state of emergency due to the coastal flooding (13 counties as of February 2025). It's also only for households that already receive the maximum benefit amount for their size. The California DSS website has the official announcement if you want to verify this information.
I had the EXACT same issue!!! I was so confused because my mom got the extra $10 but I didn't get anything. I spent TWO DAYS trying to get through to someone at the county office. When I finally talked to a worker, they explained that my mom gets the maximum benefit amount already (she's a household of 1 with very low income), but I don't get the maximum for my household size (I'm a household of 4). The worker said that if there's an emergency declaration in MY county, I'd actually get a bigger increase (like $200 more) to bring me up to the maximum. But since I'm in Riverside County, we don't have the emergency declaration active right now anyway. It's so confusing how CalFresh does these things without clearly explaining to everyone! They should send letters explaining who gets what and why.
That makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one confused by this! It's so frustrating when they implement these things without proper communication. Thanks for sharing your experience.
EBT card fraud drained my CalFresh benefits TWICE - any help getting emergency replacement?
So frustrated right now! I've had my CalFresh EBT card hit with fraud TWICE in the last 45 days. First time was at the beginning of last month - woke up to find $650 in benefits completely gone, all spent at stores I've never even been to over 70 miles away! Filed a claim with BenefitsCal and after 15 days they finally restored my benefits. Now it just happened AGAIN yesterday - another $680 gone overnight! I've been extremely careful with my card, never shared my PIN, and always check for skimmers. Has anyone else dealt with repeated EBT fraud? Did the county help? My kids are hungry and I'm panicking about how we'll eat for the next 2 weeks until this gets resolved. Do they offer emergency replacement benefits when this happens or am I just out of luck until they investigate?
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That's great news! One more tip - when you get your new card, immediately register it on the EBT mobile app and set up text alerts for ALL transactions. That way you'll know instantly if there's any suspicious activity. Glad the county came through with the expedited replacement!
CalFresh P-EBT pin creation line constantly busy - anyone else struggling to get through?
I got my P-EBT card in the mail yesterday after waiting for almost 5 weeks! So relieved it finally arrived but now I'm stuck trying to activate it. Been calling the number on the back of the card since 8am to create my PIN and either get a busy signal or it disconnects after I enter my card info. Called like 20 times already today! Do they ever answer? Anyone else having this issue with setting up their P-EBT pin? My kids are home for summer break and I was counting on using these benefits for groceries this week. Is there another number I should try or a better time to call?
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Just wanted to update everyone - I called the P-EBT customer service department to ask about the high call volume issues. They confirmed they're experiencing an unprecedented number of calls due to the new summer P-EBT issuance that just went out to about 400,000 households in California. They're adding additional staff to handle calls but recommend: 1. Calling between 7-8am or 6-7pm 2. Having all info ready (card number, child DOB, zip) 3. Making sure you're calling the specific P-EBT number, not the regular EBT line They also mentioned that the new card PIN setup can be done through the ConnectEBT app for P-EBT cards issued after March 2025. If you received your card recently, check if your card number starts with 5077 18XX (these newer cards can use the app for activation).
Thank you for getting this information for everyone! Just checked my card and it does start with 5077 18, so I'm going to try the app right now. Really appreciate you following up on this!
UPDATE: Success! I tried calling at 7:01am this morning and got through immediately! The whole process took less than 5 minutes once I had someone on the line. My benefits are now active and I can see them in the ConnectEBT app. For anyone still struggling, definitely try right when they open at 7am. Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice!
congrats!! gonna try tomorrow morning
Great news! Thanks for updating the thread - this will help other families who are experiencing the same issue.
CalFresh P-EBT pin issues & different payment amounts between children - anyone else?
Been trying to access my kids' P-EBT cards for the 2025 school year and FINALLY got through the phone line yesterday (took like 20+ attempts). Problem is, when I press 4 for pin selection, the system says "unable to access your account try back again later" and disconnects me. Has anyone else run into this? Is the system just overloaded? Also, I'm confused about the benefit amounts. My older son received $684 on his P-EBT 6.0 card, but my younger son only got $391. That's almost $300 difference! Is this normal? Do benefit amounts vary by age or grade level? I expected them to get similar amounts since they're both in the same school and qualify the same way. I'm worried the system made a mistake with my younger son's card. Called the county office but can't get through there either. Any insights appreciated!
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I used that Claimyr service that someone mentioned above after spending days trying to get through. It actually worked! Got connected to a real person in about 20 minutes who set up the PIN for both my kids' cards. Worth checking out if you're desperate like I was.
Oh that's good to know it actually worked for someone! I'm going to try the website first but if that doesn't work I'll probably try Claimyr. These benefits are just sitting there unusable right now.
Just an update for everyone struggling with P-EBT PIN issues - the Department of Social Services just posted that they're aware of the system problems and are working to increase capacity. They recommend trying during off-peak hours (before 8am or after 7pm) and say the online portal at ca.p-ebt.us should be working more consistently than the phone line. They've also extended the activation period by 60 days, so cards won't be deactivated if you can't set up the PIN right away. Hope this helps reduce some stress for parents trying to access these benefits.
Thank you SO much for sharing this update! That's a huge relief to know they extended the activation period. I'll try the website and off-peak hours as suggested.
Javier Gomez
UPDATE??? Did u get thru to the county??? plz let us know what happened!!!
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Oliver Weber
Just got off the phone with them! Used that Claimyr service someone suggested and got through in about 20 minutes instead of hours. Filed the claim and they said because the transactions were so obviously fraudulent (NY while I'm in CA), I should hear back within 10-15 business days. Fingers crossed! Also filled out the police report online and got a confirmation number to add to my claim.
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