EBT card skimmed TWICE! Finally got reimbursed after bringing eviction notice to CalFresh office

same thing happened 2 me last month! took 37 days to get my money back and i had to keep calling and calling. the supervisor told me they getting tons of these cases right now, like hundreds per county. glad u got ur $ back

I'm sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, EBT skimming has become extremely common. Here's what everyone needs to know about the current situation: 1. California has started replacing magnetic stripe EBT cards with chip cards, but the rollout is happening county by county through 2025. 2. Until you get a chip card, you should transfer your benefits to a bank account as soon as they're deposited (if possible). 3. The reimbursement process should legally take no more than 10 business days, but with the volume of claims, most counties are taking 30+ days unless you can prove immediate hardship. 4. Always file a police report in addition to the EBT theft claim - some counties are prioritizing cases with police reports. For added protection, check your balance daily and change your PIN monthly. Also avoid using EBT at standalone ATMs where skimmers are commonly installed.

I work with CalFresh recipients and see this constantly. The state is WAY behind on implementing security measures. My recommendation to clients now is to: 1. Set up EBT alerts so you know immediately when deposits happen 2. Withdraw everything ASAP 3. When filing theft claims, use the exact phrase "immediate financial hardship" and request "expedited processing" Bringing documentation of potential eviction was smart. That's exactly what gets cases prioritized. For anyone dealing with this: if you're not getting responses about your claim, try using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an actual person at your county office. It saved one of my clients weeks of waiting by getting her directly to a theft claims specialist. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8

This is absolutely outrageous! The entire EBT system is BROKEN and nobody at the state level seems to care that families are going hungry because of their negligence! I had $890 stolen in March and $730 stolen in April from my CalFresh benefits. Took them 46 DAYS to reimburse me while my kids ate ramen and whatever food bank scraps we could get. I started calling my state representative's office every single day until they intervened. THAT'S what finally got my claim processed. The county workers are overwhelmed but the state isn't giving them resources to handle the volume of theft. It's criminal negligence as far as I'm concerned.

ive had my benefits stolen 3x since january... last time they took everything literally an hour after deposit. i started going to the atm at midnight when benefits drop now lol. one thing tho - did u get the full amount back? they only gave me partial reimbursement saying something about "available balance at time of theft" even tho ALL my money was taken each time

congrats on getting your money back!! quick question tho - did they put all the money back in one lump sum or did they separate it by month? asking cuz i had 2 months of benefits stolen and wondering if theyll count it toward my resource limit if they reimburse everything at once

I had a similar experience last year and had to escalate to a supervisor too. One thing I learned is that you should always change your PIN immediately after getting a replacement card AND after getting reimbursed. The thieves sometimes have ways of knowing when money is redeposited on compromised cards. Also, if you call your county office and can't get through (which is super common), I found that requesting an "expedited hearing" about your theft claim gets more attention than just asking about status. You shouldn't have to bring in an eviction notice to get help - that's absolutely ridiculous.

has anyone tried the new chip EBT cards?? my county says were getting them in august but idk if they really any safer??

This is absolutely infuriating but I'm so glad you finally got your money back! I've been dealing with EBT theft for months now and it's like the system is designed to make us give up. My benefits were stolen twice in February - $520 the first time and $340 the second time. Filed reports immediately but kept getting the runaround from the county office. What really gets me is that they have all this technology to detect "suspicious" purchases when we're actually using our own benefits, but somehow can't stop thieves from draining our accounts? The whole system needs an overhaul. I'm definitely going to try bringing documentation of financial hardship like you did. My utilities are about to be shut off and I've been living off food bank donations while waiting for reimbursement. It's beyond cruel to make families wait weeks or months when we're already struggling to survive. Thank you for sharing your experience - it gives me hope that there might be light at the end of this nightmare!

This whole situation is absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating! I can't believe families are being put through this when they're already struggling just to put food on the table. The fact that you had to bring an eviction notice to get action is completely unacceptable - no one should have to be on the verge of homelessness before getting help with stolen benefits. I'm dealing with something similar right now - had $385 stolen two weeks ago and I'm still waiting for any response on my claim. Reading everyone's experiences here is both terrifying (37-46 days?!) and helpful. I had no idea about setting up EBT alerts or that phrase "immediate financial hardship" that someone mentioned. What really bothers me is how the state keeps talking about "improving security" but families are suffering RIGHT NOW while they slowly roll out chip cards. Meanwhile thieves are getting more sophisticated and we're left holding the bag (literally) when our grocery money disappears. I'm so relieved you finally got your money back, but the stress you went through to get there is unacceptable. Thank you for sharing your story - it's helping others like me know what to expect and how to fight for what's rightfully ours.