EBT theft wiped out my CalFresh benefits twice in 3 months - any protection options?

THIS KEEPS HAPPENING TO EVERYONEEEE!!! My sister, my cousin, and now ME last week! $380 gone in one swipe at some store I've never been to 50 miles away! The county acts like we're making it up or something. I filed my report 3 weeks ago and still NOTHING back. How are we supposed to feed our families?? The whole system is a JOKE.

happened 2 me too last month. they said something about skimmers at stores? idk but i started changing my pin every week after i shop now. haven't had problems since then.

I've been following this issue closely since it affected my mother. Here's what you need to know about EBT theft protection in 2025: 1. California now has a "limited liability" policy for EBT theft (implemented last summer) 2. You MUST report unauthorized transactions within 10 days to qualify for full replacement 3. For amounts over $300, they require both a police report AND the county theft form 4. Keep receipts of ALL your EBT purchases as evidence of your normal shopping patterns 5. Request a new card entirely - sometimes the old card numbers are compromised Also, I've heard that freezing your account between uses can help, but you need to call each time to unfreeze it.

my calfresh case worker said their replacing stolen benefits but the governor only approved funding to cover like 70% of whats stolen and only if you report it within 5 days i think? and they said the counties are backlogged with fraud claims so its taking longer to process them all

For anyone dealing with this EBT theft nightmare, I found that using Claimyr (claimyr.com) helped me actually get through to a CalFresh worker in under 5 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have this service that calls the county office for you and then connects you when a real person answers. Made a huge difference in getting my theft claim processed. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 After connecting with a worker, I learned you need to specifically request an "EBT Benefit Theft Claim Form 3811" and ask about their expedited processing for households with children. Getting the right form and flagging it for expedited review cut my wait time from 45+ days to about 12 days.

The California DSS just announced new security measures for EBT cards coming in August 2025. They're finally adding chip technology and a mobile app where you can lock/unlock your card between uses. Until then, here are some steps that can help protect your benefits: - Change your PIN regularly (every 2-4 weeks) - Check your balance after each shopping trip - Only use EBT terminals at trusted stores (avoid gas stations and small markets if possible) - Request a replacement card if you suspect your current one is compromised - Consider withdrawing benefits in portions rather than leaving the full amount accessible For immediate help with your current situation, specifically request an "emergency benefit replacement" when you speak with your county worker. Households with children under 18 should qualify for expedited processing.

my cousin works for the county and she said they're seeing TONS of these theft cases. apparently theres these skimmer things thieves put over the card readers that steal your info. she said avoid using your card at sketchy places and always wiggle the card reader before you put your card in to check if theres a skimmer attached.

i just got approved for calfresh last month and now im scared to even use my card after reading this!!! should i just take all the money out at once or something??

Update: I finally got through to CalFresh after trying for 3 days straight! The worker told me they're now prioritizing theft claims for households with children under 18. She submitted my paperwork for expedited processing and said I should hear back within 10 business days. She also confirmed they're working on implementing a card lock/unlock feature through the BenefitsCal app, but it won't be ready until later this summer. For now, I've requested a brand new card with a different number, and I'm going to be super vigilant about checking my balance. Thanks everyone for your advice and support - it helps knowing I'm not alone in dealing with this!

This is absolutely infuriating and I'm so sorry you're dealing with this AGAIN! I went through the same nightmare last year - had my benefits stolen 3 times in 6 months. What finally helped me was getting a new card AND immediately setting up text alerts for every transaction through the ebtEDGE mobile app. Now I get notified within minutes if my card is used anywhere. Also, I learned that you can ask your county worker to flag your case as "high risk for fraud" which supposedly gets you faster replacement processing. The whole system is broken but at least there are small things we can do to protect ourselves. Hang in there - your kids need you to keep fighting this!