CalFresh benefits stolen from mom's EBT in another state - facing investigation & possible fraud accusations

Unfortunately, this is becoming super common. The county sees it as suspicious when benefits are used in multiple states within a short timeframe. Your mom needs to file an EBT theft report ASAP - both with the county and with local police. The key is proving she couldn't physically have been in Phoenix when the benefits were withdrawn. Did she keep any receipts or have any proof she was back in California when the theft happened?

omg this EXACT thing happened to my grandmother!!! they drained her whole card in Nevada while she was home in Oakland. the county made her jump through 1000 hoops but eventually they restored her benefits after like 2 months of fighting

I work as a benefits advocate, and I can tell you that EBT theft is a major issue the system is still figuring out how to handle. Here's what your mom needs to do: 1. File Form CF 303 (EBT Benefit Theft Report) immediately 2. File a police report in both California and Arizona if possible 3. Request an expedited replacement issuance due to hardship 4. Request a State Hearing if denied (you have 90 days) The 2025 EBT Theft Protection Act provides some additional protections, but you need to move quickly. The county cannot hold her responsible if she can prove she wasn't physically present when the withdrawal occurred. The doctor's appointment record will be very helpful.

THE COUNTIES ARE TERRIBLE ABOUT THIS!!!! They treat everyone like criminals and expect old people to somehow magically know their cards are being skimmed!!!! My benefits got stolen TWICE last year and they made ME prove I wasnt the one who took it out even though it was litterly IMPOSSIBLE for me to be in two places at once!!! The system is DESIGNED to make us give up!!!!!

Hi there, just wanted to let you know that if you're having trouble reaching someone at the county about this theft situation, I had success using Claimyr when my benefits were stolen last year. It's a service that gets you through to a real CalFresh worker in minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. I was about to give up after being on hold for 3+ hours trying to report my theft. You just go to claimyr.com and they call you back when they have a worker on the line. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 that shows how it works. Much easier than trying to get through the regular way, especially for urgent situations like theft.

my cousin had something similar happen but it was his roommate who stole his card. the county made him file a police report naming the roommate before they would replace anything. do they know how the card info got stolen? like was it a skimmer or did someone take her physical card?

One more important thing: Make sure your mom changes her PIN immediately if she hasn't already. And in the future, it's safer to avoid using EBT at ATMs entirely - even for cash benefits. Skimmers are most common on ATMs and gas station payment terminals. Also, under California's theft replacement policy, she may qualify for expedited replacement if this causes immediate hardship. Make sure to specifically ask about "expedited benefit replacement due to theft causing hardship" when you talk to the county. They won't offer this option unless you specifically request it.

Just went through this with my dad! Make sure you gather ANY evidence showing your mom was in California when the withdrawal happened. Cell phone location data, credit card transactions, medical appointments, anything. The more evidence the better. Our caseworker initially denied the claim but approved it when we submitted a full timeline with supporting documentation.

when this happend to me i had to wait 5 weeks to get new benafits and had to go to food banks meanwhile. make sure ur mom knows about local food banks just in case. also they replaced my benafits but only after i sent like 10 diffrent proofs that i wasnt in that other state

Update on this issue: As of March 2025, California DSS released new guidance on interstate EBT theft. If your mother's benefits were stolen after March 1st, the new streamlined replacement process should apply. This reduces the investigation period to 10 business days maximum and places the burden of proof on the county rather than the recipient. Be sure to specifically mention "DSS All County Letter 25-32 regarding interstate EBT theft protocols" when speaking with her caseworker.

sooo my aunt works for the county and she said they're being super strict about out of state usage now because of some big fraud ring they found. she said make SURE u tell them it was just one shopping trip in arizona and not multiple withdrawals. if u can prove it was just that one legitimate purchase before the theft happened, they'll be more likely to believe u

UPDATE: I wanted to thank everyone for their advice! I used Claimyr to finally get through to a supervisor at the county office, and they were actually really helpful once I mentioned the new guidance from March 2025 and Form CF 303. We submitted all the documentation showing my mom was at her doctor's appointment in California when the money was withdrawn in Arizona. They're expediting her replacement benefits and should have them loaded within 3 business days! The supervisor said these cases are happening a lot and they're working on better skimmer detection at out-of-state retailers. For anyone else dealing with this, definitely mention ACL 25-32 and request expedited replacement!

So glad to hear you got this resolved quickly! This is exactly why community knowledge sharing is so important - the county workers don't always volunteer information about new policies or expedited processes. Your experience will definitely help other families dealing with EBT theft. It's encouraging that the supervisor acknowledged this is a widespread problem they're actively working on. Hopefully they can get better protections in place soon so seniors like your mom don't have to go through this stress in the first place.