CalFresh EBT card stolen last week - all my food money gone! What to do now?

I'm sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, EBT skimming fraud has become really common. You need to follow these steps immediately: 1. File a police report (which they already told you) 2. Contact your county CalFresh office (not just the EBT customer service) and tell them about the theft 3. Fill out the "EBT-2259 - Request for Benefit Replacement" form 4. Submit all documentation to your county worker They WILL replace the benefits but it can take 7-10 business days. In the meantime, call 211 to find emergency food banks near you. Also, immediately request a new EBT card with a different number.

omg this happened to me 2 TWICE last year!!! they stole over $800 from me the 1st time n $540 the second time its those card skimmers they put at stores. now i change my pin every week and check my balance on the app everyday. took like 3 weeks to get my $ back tho 😡

My cousin had that happen in December, and she thinks it was from using her card at that sketchy gas station on 5th Street. Now I always check for skimmers before I swipe my card anywhere. You gotta wiggle the card reader before you insert your card. Did you use your card anywhere unusual recently?

CalFresh benefit theft has unfortunately become very common. Here's what you need to know: 1. California recently strengthened protections with the EBT Theft Victim Compensation program that fully reimburses stolen benefits 2. The timeline for reimbursement is generally 10-15 business days after a completed claim 3. You must report the theft within 90 days 4. Until your claim is processed, contact local food banks and emergency food assistance programs 5. When you get your new EBT card, create a PIN that's not easy to guess (avoid birthdays, sequential numbers) 6. Check your balance frequently using the BenefitsCal app 7. Consider freezing your EBT card using the EBT Edge mobile app when not in use I help people with these claims regularly, and most are successfully resolved, though it does take time.

hey so until u get ur money back try calling 211 they can tell u where food banks are near u. my church also does free meals on wed nights. dont let ur kids go hungry! also check if ur kids school has a food pantry lots do now

Have you tried reaching your county worker directly? I know it's nearly impossible to get through on the main CalFresh lines - I was getting disconnected constantly too. I recently found this service called Claimyr that gets you through to a real person at the county office without the wait. Just go to claimyr.com and they'll call you back when they've got a worker on the line. Saved me hours of frustration when my benefits were suddenly cut off. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 - in your situation getting through quickly could make a huge difference.

Quick update for everyone: As of 2025, if you experience EBT theft, you should also immediately report it to the California EBT Fraud Portal at benefits.ca.gov/fraud in addition to filing a police report. This speeds up the investigation process. The average time for benefit replacement is now down to 5-7 business days if you submit all documentation promptly. Also, make sure you're using the PIN Shield feature whenever entering your PIN in public.

So I just saw on the news that this is happening ALL OVER California right now! They said there's a huge ring of scammers targeting EBT cards specifically. Make sure you report this to the fraud department too, not just for your own case but so they can track the pattern!

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I ALWAYS WITHDRAW ALL MY BENEFITS AS SOON AS THEY HIT MY ACCOUNT!!!!! The system doesn't protect us AT ALL. I take out all my cash benefits on the 1st and I use my CalFresh benefits to buy grocery store gift cards for later in the month. They can't steal what's not on the card!!!! The county worker told me not to do this but it's the ONLY way to be safe. They don't care about us!!!

UPDATE: I finally got through to my county worker today! Filed the police report yesterday and submitted all the paperwork. They said they'll expedite my case because I have children in the household and should have the benefits replaced within 5 business days. In the meantime, we got emergency food from two local food banks. Thanks everyone for your help and advice during this stressful time! Will keep you posted on how it all turns out.