CalFresh worker questioned me about using EBT in different city - is this legal?

This happens ALL THE TIME. The system flags "unusual" purchase patterns and they investigate for trafficking or misuse. It's completely messed up but YES they track where you use your card. I've been questioned 3 times in the past year because I shop near my mom's house when I visit her every weekend. They're basically treating us all like criminals.

I work for a community org that helps people with benefits, and I can clarify this. CalFresh workers do routinely review EBT transaction data when looking for potential fraud patterns, but you have every right to use your card anywhere in California (or even other states). There's no requirement to shop only in your home city. However, if there's a sudden change in your shopping pattern or you're exclusively shopping far from home, they might flag it for review. It doesn't mean you've done anything wrong! Just explain your work situation like you did here.

my worker never said ANYTHING about where i can shop lol... i use mine all over the place because i drive for work. nobody has ever called me in for an "appointment" about it.

Looking at your situation objectively, there's nothing wrong with using your EBT card in a different city, but certain patterns can trigger fraud reviews. The worker should have explained this instead of making you feel uncomfortable. What likely happened is that the system flagged your account for one of these reasons: 1. Sudden change in transaction locations 2. 100% of transactions outside your residential area 3. Multiple large transactions in a single day in different locations Standard procedure is to verify these transactions with you. Simply explaining your work situation should resolve this. Document the conversation date and who you spoke with, just in case.

If you're having trouble getting through to your CalFresh worker to discuss this or document your work situation, try using Claimyr. I was stuck in the same situation with weird questioning about my EBT usage, and I couldn't get through to my worker for days. Claimyr got me connected in about 15 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their site is claimyr.com. Totally worth it to get this resolved quickly.

This isn't right. While they do track transaction data for fraud prevention, they shouldn't be treating you like you're guilty of something for simply shopping near work. I recommend: 1. File a formal complaint with your county office 2. Ask for a written explanation of their EBT monitoring policies 3. Request that they document your work location in your case file I had a similar issue last year and after I complained, my worker actually apologized. There's nothing in the CalFresh regulations saying you can only shop in your home zip code.

omg this is ridiculous! what if someone doesn't have a car and takes the bus to a better grocery store in another area? or shops where prices are better? are we supposed to ONLY shop at the nearest store even if it's more expensive??? this system is designed to keep us poor i swear

A family member works in the fraud department at CDSS and here's what I know: they absolutely track purchase patterns, but the intent is to catch people selling benefits or cards (like consistent withdrawals of exact amounts, always at the same ATM, etc). Shopping in a neighboring city for normal groceries is NOT fraud and not even close to what they're looking for. Your worker was being overzealous and inappropriate.

i think its super weird they can see every place we shop tho... feels like being stalked by the government lol

This is so frustrating and honestly feels like harassment! I've been on CalFresh for 2 years and had no idea they were tracking where I shop. Like others have said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with using your EBT card in a different city - especially when you work there! I think the worker was way out of line calling you in for an "appointment" without explaining what it was about, then making you feel like you were doing something wrong. You shouldn't have to justify normal grocery shopping patterns. Definitely document everything from this interaction and consider filing a complaint. Workers need to understand the difference between actual fraud (like selling benefits) and normal life circumstances like working in a different city. Hope you get this resolved quickly!

This is exactly why we need better training for CalFresh workers! What happened to you is completely unacceptable. I've been a benefits advocate for over 5 years and I see this kind of inappropriate questioning way too often. Workers get so focused on "catching fraud" that they forget they're dealing with real people just trying to feed their families. You have every right to shop wherever is convenient for you - work, family visits, better prices, whatever. The fact that she made you feel like a criminal for normal grocery shopping is really concerning. I'd strongly recommend asking to speak with a supervisor about this worker's conduct. They need additional training on what actually constitutes suspicious activity versus normal life patterns. Document everything - date, time, worker's name, exactly what was said. This kind of overreach needs to be reported so it doesn't happen to others. You did nothing wrong!

This is absolutely outrageous! I can't believe they're tracking our every purchase location like we're criminals. You have every right to shop wherever you want - for work, better prices, visiting family, whatever! The fact that they called you in for an "appointment" without explaining why and then interrogated you about perfectly normal shopping patterns is completely inappropriate. I've been on CalFresh for about 6 months and nobody ever told me they were monitoring WHERE I shop. This feels like such an invasion of privacy. Like, are we supposed to carry around a map of approved shopping locations now? You should definitely file a complaint about this worker's conduct. Making you feel guilty for shopping near your workplace is ridiculous and probably violates their own policies. I'm so sorry you had to go through this - it sounds really stressful and humiliating. Thanks for sharing this because now I know what to expect if they ever try to pull this with me!

This whole situation is absolutely infuriating! I'm relatively new to CalFresh and had no idea they were monitoring our shopping locations like this. The fact that your worker called you in for a mysterious "appointment" and then made you feel like a criminal for shopping near your workplace is completely unacceptable. What really bothers me is that nobody explains these "rules" upfront - like, where in the application process do they tell you that shopping in a different city might trigger an investigation? It feels like they're setting people up to feel guilty for totally normal behavior. I drive about 45 minutes to visit my elderly parents every few weeks and always do grocery shopping there because the stores are better and cheaper. Now I'm paranoid that I'm going to get flagged for this! It's ridiculous that we have to worry about where we buy food when we're just trying to make our benefits stretch as far as possible. You definitely did nothing wrong, and I hope you file a complaint about this worker's inappropriate conduct. Thanks for sharing this experience - it's eye-opening for those of us who are newer to the system!

I'm new to CalFresh and this is absolutely terrifying to read! Nobody mentioned ANYTHING about location tracking during my application process. I've been shopping at different stores depending on where I can find the best deals and freshest produce - isn't that what we're supposed to do with limited benefits? The fact that they can just call you in for a mystery "appointment" and then make you feel like a criminal for normal grocery shopping is completely messed up. You work in that city - of course you'd shop there! This feels like such an invasion of privacy and really discriminatory treatment. I'm definitely going to start documenting where and when I shop just in case they try to pull this with me. Thanks for sharing this experience - it's horrible that you went through it but really important for newcomers like me to know what we might face. You absolutely did nothing wrong and I hope filing a complaint gets this worker some proper training on what actual fraud looks like!

Wow, I'm completely new to CalFresh and this is honestly shocking to read! I had no idea they were tracking our shopping locations - this was never mentioned during my application process at all. The fact that you got called in for a surprise "appointment" and then interrogated about shopping near your workplace is absolutely ridiculous. I've been using my EBT card in different cities depending on where I can find better deals or when I'm visiting friends/family, and now I'm terrified I'm going to get flagged for "suspicious activity" when I'm literally just trying to make my benefits stretch as far as possible. It's so messed up that they treat us like criminals for normal activities that anyone with a regular credit card would do without question. You definitely did nothing wrong - shopping near where you work makes total sense! Thanks for sharing this experience even though it was awful for you. It's really eye-opening for newcomers like me to understand what we might face. I hope you get this resolved and that worker gets better training on what actual fraud looks like versus just normal life!

I'm brand new to CalFresh and this whole situation is absolutely mind-blowing to me! Nobody - and I mean NOBODY - mentioned during my application process that they would be tracking where I shop. This feels like such a huge oversight in how they onboard people into the program. What happened to you is completely unacceptable. You work in that city, so of course you'd shop there! The fact that they called you in for a mystery "appointment" and then made you feel like you were under investigation for totally normal behavior is infuriating. I've been shopping at different stores across multiple cities trying to find the best deals and freshest produce to make my benefits last longer. Now I'm genuinely scared I'm going to get one of these intimidating calls too. It's so wrong that we have to live in fear of being questioned for basic grocery shopping decisions that anyone else would make without a second thought. Thanks for sharing this experience - it's awful that you had to go through it, but it's really important for newcomers like me to understand what we might face. You definitely did nothing wrong, and I hope filing a complaint gets this worker the training they clearly need. This kind of treatment is exactly why people are afraid to ask for help when they need it.

I'm completely new to CalFresh and this community, and honestly, I'm shocked by what you went through! Like so many others have said, absolutely NOBODY mentioned location tracking during my application process - I had no idea this was even a thing they monitored. What your worker did sounds totally inappropriate and honestly kind of abusive. You work in that city - of course you'd shop there during lunch or after work! That's literally the most normal, logical thing in the world. The fact that they called you in for some mystery "appointment" and then made you feel like a criminal for basic grocery shopping is completely unacceptable. I've been using my card at different stores trying to find the best deals and freshest food to stretch my benefits, and now I'm genuinely worried I might get ambushed with one of these interrogations too. It's so messed up that we have to live in fear of being questioned for normal activities that anyone with a regular income does without thinking twice. You absolutely did nothing wrong, and I really hope you follow through with filing that complaint. This worker clearly needs better training on what actual fraud looks like versus just normal life patterns. Thanks for sharing your experience - it sucks that you had to go through this, but it's really valuable for newcomers like me to understand what we might face in this system.

I'm brand new to CalFresh and this community, and reading your experience has me absolutely floored! Nobody mentioned ANYTHING about location tracking during my application process - I feel like this is such crucial information that they're deliberately withholding from applicants. What your worker put you through sounds completely inappropriate and honestly traumatic. Shopping near your workplace is literally the most normal, practical thing anyone would do! The fact that they ambushed you with this mystery "appointment" and then interrogated you like you were committing a crime is absolutely unacceptable. I've been using my EBT card at various stores across different cities just trying to find the best deals and freshest produce to make my limited benefits stretch as far as possible. Now I'm genuinely terrified that I might get one of these intimidating calls for doing exactly what any smart shopper would do! It's so discriminatory that people needing food assistance have to worry about this kind of surveillance and harassment while people with regular income can shop wherever they want without question. This whole system seems designed to make us feel guilty and ashamed for needing help. You absolutely did nothing wrong, and I really hope you follow through with filing that complaint against this worker. They clearly need serious training on what actual fraud looks like versus normal life activities. Thanks for sharing this - it's awful you went through it, but it's really valuable for newcomers like me to understand what we might face. Stay strong and don't let them intimidate you!