EBT fraud in Fresno County - worker stole $97K from CalFresh recipients! Anyone affected?

OMG I'm in Fresno and had $340 mysteriously missing from my account in February! The worker said it was probably just me forgetting I'd spent it, but I KNOW I didn't. I track every penny because my family depends on those benefits! How can we find out if we were victims? Does the article say which worker it was or how to get our money back?

This is awful but not surprising. If you suspect you were affected, here's what you should do: 1. Pull your EBT transaction history (either online through the EBT portal or call the number on the back of your card) 2. Look for transactions at stores you don't recognize or in areas you don't visit 3. File a formal fraud report with Fresno County DSS - insist on getting a case number 4. Contact the CalFresh Fraud Hotline at 1-800-344-8477 5. Document everything - dates of suspicious transactions, who you spoke with, case numbers Unfortunately, the system often puts the burden of proof on recipients, so be persistent.

my cousin works at the fresno county office (not in calfresh tho) and she says this has been going on for months but they kept it quiet. apparently the worker was adding "household members" to peoples cases but the cards were going to her address or something. check ur case files if u can to see if theres random ppl added who shouldnt be there

I've dealt with CalFresh fraud cases as a legal aid worker, and unfortunately, this type of internal theft happens more than people realize. The article mentions this worker was creating secondary EBT cards for existing cases, which is something only someone with system access could do. If you suspect you were affected, you should: - Request your benefit issuance history for the past 6 months - Ask specifically for a list of all EBT cards issued under your case number - File a form CF 303 (Request for Restoration of Benefits) The county should make victims whole, but typically you need to identify and report the specific fraudulent transactions first.

ive been using calfresh for 4 years in fresno and ive always suspected something was off... sometimes id get less than i was supposed to and the workers would just say the "system" calculated it that way lol sure jan!!! how convenient that the "system" always makes mistakes that give us LESS money never MORE

If you need to reach someone at the Fresno County CalFresh office about this, save yourself the frustration of sitting on hold for hours. I was trying to get through about a different issue last week and kept getting disconnected after 1+ hour holds. I finally used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to a live person in 20 minutes. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 and their website claimyr.com They basically call and wait on hold for you, then call you when they reach a real person. With something this serious about potential fraud, you definitely want to talk to a supervisor not just the regular helpline.

This is absolutely INFURIATING!!! I've been on CalFresh in Fresno for years, and I've had unexplained benefit reductions at least 3 times in the past year. Each time I called, they gave me some vague explanation about "household composition changes" or "income verification issues" - even though NOTHING had changed in my household or income! When I pushed for more info, I got transferred around and eventually disconnected. Now it all makes sense - they were STEALING from us and covering it up!!! I'm going to check every transaction on my card for the past year and raise hell if I find anything suspicious. We need to demand a full audit of EVERY case this worker touched!

so my friend who gets calfresh said she got a letter from the county about this but it was super vague... just said there was "potential unauthorized activity" and to call if she noticed missing funds. didn't even say how much was taken or how to get it back! check ur mail maybe u got something too?

I want to clarify something important: If you were affected by this fraud, you are entitled to retroactive benefits under federal SNAP regulations (7 CFR 273.17). The county MUST restore any benefits stolen through no fault of your own, going back up to 12 months. Be prepared that they might initially deny knowledge or responsibility. Document everything: - Take screenshots of your EBT transaction history - Note any transactions you don't recognize - Keep copies of all communication with the county - Get the name and ID of every worker you speak with If they refuse to help, contact Legal Aid of Fresno County or the Western Center on Law and Poverty. This is a serious violation of program integrity requirements.

Update: I just called the number on the back of my EBT card and checked my transaction history. There were THREE transactions at a store in Madera that I've never even been to! They were for $86, $112, and $205 over the past 4 months. I'm literally shaking right now. That's over $400 of food money for my kids that someone STOLE. What do I do now? Do I call the police? The fraud department? I'm so upset I can barely think straight.

This is absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating. As someone new to this community, I had no idea this kind of internal fraud was happening with CalFresh benefits. Reading through everyone's experiences - the missing funds, the runaround from workers, the impact on families trying to put food on the table - it's clear this goes way beyond just one bad actor. I'm not in Fresno County myself, but this makes me want to check my own EBT transaction history just in case. Are there warning signs we should all be looking for regardless of which county we're in? Things like unexpected benefit reductions, mysterious "system errors," or workers being evasive when we ask questions about our cases? It sounds like the advice here about documenting everything and being persistent is crucial. Thank you to everyone sharing resources and legal information - this community support is exactly what people need when dealing with government agencies that don't always have our backs.