CalFresh EBT account drained AGAIN - can we start a petition against county's poor card security?

omg same thing happened to my neighbor!! her account got drained twice in 4 months and she has 3 kids! county told her to just be more careful with her card but she swears she never gave info to anyone

Unfortunately this is becoming more common with EBT skimming. What you should do immediately is: 1. Report the theft to your county office AND file a police report 2. Request a replacement card with a new PIN 3. Ask for expedited replacement of stolen benefits (counties are now required to replace stolen benefits within 10 days under the new state regulations from Jan 2025) As for direct deposit, CalFresh benefits technically can't be direct deposited since they're not cash benefits. They can only be loaded onto EBT cards. You might be confusing this with CalWORKs which can sometimes be direct deposited. The new EBT card security enhancements should be rolling out soon - cards with chips instead of just magnetic strips. You can request one of these newer cards specifically.

I actually think the petition idea isn't bad!! My benefits were stolen twice last yr and I had to wait FOREVER to get them back. Each time the county acted like I was the criminal! There's gotta be 100s of us this is happening to. Maybe we could start something on that change.org site?

I work with CalFresh clients regularly, and this issue has definitely increased. Here's what you should know: The State issued guidance in ACL 24-67 (January 2025) requiring counties to process EBT theft reports within 10 business days and provide replacement benefits if verified. Print this letter and bring it with you: cdss.ca.gov/benefits/acl/24-67 Additionally, always request a "Restricted Card" which limits where your benefits can be used. You can also request benefit staggering - having your benefits deposited in 2-3 smaller amounts throughout the month rather than all at once. As for collective action, contact the Coalition of California Welfare Rights Organizations - they're already working on this issue and can direct you to advocacy efforts already underway.

wait can they really put benefit money in ur bank???? ive been asking about this for months cuz i hate carring that EBT card everywhere

Have you tried reaching your county CalFresh worker directly? I was having a similar issue last month and kept getting nowhere with the regular customer service line. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual caseworker. They have this service where they wait on hold for you and connect you directly to your county worker. Saved me hours of frustration and I was able to get my stolen benefits replaced within a week instead of a month. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8. Made a huge difference in getting my case prioritized instead of sitting in some generic queue.

THIS IS WHY I ALWAYS WITHDRAW ALL MY BENEFITS AS SOON AS THEY HIT MY CARD!!! The county doesn't care about us. They make us wait 30+ days for OUR MONEY while we starve!! I've started taking all my benefits out the minute they arrive and I keep the cash at home. Haven't had a problem since. The system is BROKEN and they know it!!!!

my sister had this happen and she got her benefits back in like 5 days. just depends which county worker u get i think. some r nice some r not.

Just to follow up on the petition idea - while petitions alone may not solve the problem, documented cases help advocacy organizations fight for policy changes. The California EBT Cardholders Rights Group (search for them on Facebook) is collecting theft reports to present to the legislature. They've already helped push through the recent security improvements coming in 2025. Send them your case details if you want to contribute to systemic change.