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i had someting similar happen but it was only $400 not as bad as yours... my county worker told me theres a statewide EBT app now that lets you lock your card when your not using it which i didnt know about before. also always use the machines inside the store never the atm's outside their easier for scammers to mess with. sorry this happened to you its so awful!!!!
Just to follow up - make sure when you go to your county office tomorrow that you specifically request both: 1. AB 1784 benefit theft reimbursement claim 2. Expedited CalFresh benefits application (CF 285) Bring as much documentation as you can: ID, any income verification, rent/utility bills, and information about the theft (dates, police report if you filed one, case number from your fraud call, etc.). Having everything organized will speed up the process significantly. For immediate food assistance, many school districts also offer emergency meal programs for families with children, separate from regular free/reduced lunch programs. Worth checking with your children's schools as well.
ALWAYS check your EBT balance weekly!!! These scammers are getting more sophisticated and targeting benefit recipients like crazy in 2025. My coworker just had her entire month's worth of CalFresh stolen and she didn't notice for two weeks. By then most of the money was gone and she had a harder time proving fraud. Protect yourselves!!
This is excellent advice. I recommend to all my clients to set a weekly reminder to check their EBT balance through the official BenefitsCal app or by calling the number on the back of their card. Never use third-party apps or links from text messages to check your balance - these are often scams designed to steal your information.
i heard theres a new law in california that makes it easier to get benefits back after fraud but not sure when it takes effect? anyone know if thats true or just a rumor??????
You're referring to Assembly Bill 1518 which was passed last year. It streamlined the EBT theft claim process and made it easier to get replacement benefits. It's already in effect! It requires counties to provide provisional credits within 10 days of a verified fraud claim while they investigate. It also created better fraud detection systems and improved card security features for new EBT cards.
Update: Just checked my EBT account this morning and the extra payment finally showed up! Got $71 extra. Seems like they're definitely rolling them out slowly over several days. Thanks everyone for confirming this was actually happening!
I finally got through to someone at the county after waiting 1.5 hours on hold! They told me I didn't get the extra payment because we're already receiving the maximum benefit amount for our household size due to our very low income. So apparently if you're already at the max, you don't get the inflation adjustment. Just wanted to update in case anyone else was confused like me.
wait is EBT Edge the one with the blue icon or the green icon?? i think i downloaded the wrong one before lol
Just to clarify some information I'm seeing in the comments: 1. The EBT Edge app is officially approved for use with CalFresh benefits 2. Even if the app crashes or has technical issues, it cannot "take" your benefits - it's just displaying information 3. The only way benefits can be stolen is if someone has both your physical card AND your PIN 4. Not all county workers mention the app during recertification because it's not required for managing benefits, just a convenience option 5. If you're concerned about app legitimacy, you can always call the official EBT customer service number (877-328-9677) to verify Hope this helps clear up some confusion!
Ethan Moore
when i got my kids cards i thought it was a scam lol. didnt even activate them for like 2 weeks until my sister told me it was legit. feels weird getting beneffits when we didnt apply for nothing but hey free food is free food
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GalaxyGazer
•same! i was super suspicious too!
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Nia Harris
One more thing - make sure you set unique PINs for each card when you activate them. These are technically your children's benefits (even though you manage them as the parent). I've seen cases where parents set the same PIN for all cards and then had issues with account security later on. And keep track of which card belongs to which child - they look nearly identical!
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Sean Kelly
•Thank you - I wouldn't have thought of that. Going to label the cards with their names and set different PINs.
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