Recovered $180 stolen EBT funds - CalFresh helped me get reimbursed through bank withdrawal!

omg wait WHAT?? my ebt got skimmed last month and i lost $230 and the worker told me i might never get it back!! how did u get them to let u withdraw from a bank? i thought ebt could only be used for food purchases?? did u have to fill out special paperwork or something?

This is actually a relatively new policy change for CalFresh EBT theft replacement. After skimming became so common in 2023-2024, California updated their procedures to allow direct bank withdrawals for approved theft claims instead of just putting the funds back on the EBT card (which could potentially get skimmed again). A few important things to know: 1. You MUST file the theft report within 10 days of discovering the unauthorized transaction 2. The investigation can take up to 90 days, but often resolves faster 3. Bring government-issued photo ID to the bank 4. Bring your claim approval letter/number 5. Only works at banks that participate in the EBT system I'm glad you were able to get your benefits back. EBT skimming has unfortunately become very common.

this happened 2 my cousin back in december and she NEVER got her money back!!! the county said she waited 2 long to report it (like 3 weeks). gotta report that stuff RIGHT AWAY. glad u got ur $$ back tho

I just want to warn everyone that EBT skimming is EXTREMELY common now. Thieves put tiny card readers and cameras on store machines to steal your card info and PIN. To protect yourself: 1. Always check the card reader for anything loose or suspicious 2. Cover the keypad when entering your PIN 3. Consider keeping most of your benefits in a separate "wallet" on BenefitsCal and only moving what you need for each shopping trip 4. Check your balance after EVERY transaction 5. Set up balance alerts on the EBT app if possible Also, NEVER share your PIN with anyone - even people who claim to be from the county office. Legitimate CalFresh workers will never ask for your full card number or PIN.

I work with CalFresh clients and can confirm this is correct. California implemented emergency measures in 2024 to address the massive increase in EBT theft. The bank withdrawal option is specifically for approved theft claims to prevent benefits from being stolen again if simply reloaded to the same compromised card. One thing to add: when you get a theft replacement, you should ALWAYS request a new EBT card as well. Your old card information has been compromised and could lead to future theft.

this whole system is designed to make everything as difficult as possible!! they make us wait MONTHS for money WE NEED TODAY just because their system is broken. and why dont they use chip readers on ebt if they KNOW skimming is a problem?? meanwhile my kids are supposed to what, not eat?? glad you got your money back but the fact that we have to jump through all these hoops is ridiculous

If anyone is having trouble reaching someone about a theft claim, I used a service called Claimyr to get through to an actual CalFresh worker when my benefits were stolen. You might want to check out their site (claimyr.com) - they basically call the office for you and then connect you when they get a real person. Saved me hours of waiting on hold. They have a video about how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 The CalFresh fraud department was actually super helpful once I got through to them, but getting through was the hard part.

so happy 4 u!! my friend had same thing happen but she waited like a month to report it n they denied her claim. its so messed up how many ppl r stealing from folks who just need food..

Y'all be careful tho the bank tellers sometimes dont know wat theyre doing! My sister tried to do this and they made her wait 2 hours and then told her to go to a different branch and THAT one said they couldnt help either!! Some real bs