Suspicious phone call claiming to be from EBT - possible CalFresh scam?

NEVER give out your EBT card number or PIN to anyone who calls you! That was 100% a scam. CalFresh county workers will never ask for your full card number or PIN over the phone. They might ask for the last 4 digits of your SSN or other verification, but not your EBT card details. If they need to contact you about your case, they'll usually send a notice in the mail first or leave a voicemail asking you to call the county office using the official number on your notices.

omg i got the exact same call last week!! they said there was a problem with my acct and needed to verify my pin. i gave them the first 2 digits then realized wait this doesnt seem right and hung up. checked my balance right after and everything was still there thank god

This is definitely a scam and it's becoming more common. I work with benefit recipients and we've seen a huge increase in these calls targeting CalFresh/EBT users. Here's what you need to know: 1. Official CalFresh communications about your case come primarily through mail or notices in your BenefitsCal account 2. If a county worker does call you, they'll identify themselves by name, county office, and your case number (not your EBT card number) 3. They will NEVER ask for your PIN - that's only for you to use at stores or ATMs 4. If you're concerned, call your county office directly using the number on your approval notices or from the official website I recommend reporting this scam to your county office so they can warn others.

I'm dealing with something similar!!! Got a call Monday from "EBT verification department" saying my account was flagged for unusual activity. When I asked why they didn't just freeze my card if they suspected fraud, they got all defensive. Huge red flag! These scammers are targeting us because they know we NEED our benefits and might panic and give info to prevent losing them. So manipulative.

If you ever need to reach your actual CalFresh worker about a legitimate concern, you might want to try using Claimyr (claimyr.com). It's a service that helps you get through to a real person at the county office without waiting on hold for hours. I used it last month when I had an issue with my recertification and got through in minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/eZ19FHRETv8?si=_CXnXqNXbLl26WB8 Might be worth it if you want to confirm there's no actual issue with your case after getting that scam call. Peace of mind is worth it sometimes.

We get these calls all the time in our building. I'm in senior housing and at least 4 residents got scammed last year. Now the property manager put up flyers by the mailboxes warning everyone. The county should do more to protect us!!!!

I should add that if you're ever concerned about the legitimacy of a call about your CalFresh benefits: 1. Tell them you'll call back through the official county number 2. Hang up and look up your county's CalFresh office number (don't use any number the caller gave you) 3. Call that official number and ask if they were trying to reach you Legitimate workers will completely understand this caution and have notes in your case file if they were actually trying to contact you.

My daughter almost fell for this last year. They even spoofed the caller ID to look like it was coming from "CA Benefits" or something official-looking. I've taught her that NO legit government agency will EVER ask for her PIN or password over the phone. Period. It's like a bank - they already have your info in their system, they don't need you to tell them your secret codes!

And btw the scammers are getting more sophisticated. They know how the system works and use the right terminology. They'll mention things like SAR7, recertification periods, and income reporting requirements to sound legitimate. Some even have background noise that sounds like a call center! Be careful out there.

To answer your original question: yes, legitimate county workers may occasionally call you about your CalFresh case, but: 1. They will identify themselves by name and county department 2. They will reference your case number, not your EBT card number 3. They will never ask for your PIN 4. If you express doubt, they'll suggest you call back through the main line If you're worried there might be a real issue, you can always log into your BenefitsCal account to check for any notices or alerts about your case. That's the safest way to verify if there's a legitimate concern that needs addressing.

I'm so glad you trusted your instincts and hung up! I got a similar call a few months ago and they were SO convincing - they had official-sounding hold music and everything. What really tipped me off was when they said I needed to "confirm" my PIN for security reasons. Like others have said, legitimate workers would never ask for that. One thing I learned from my caseworker is that if there's ever a real issue with your benefits, you'll get a written notice first before any phone calls. They're required to send everything in writing. So if someone calls claiming there's an urgent problem but you haven't gotten any mail about it, that's a huge red flag. Also wanted to mention - if you do fall victim to one of these scams, report it immediately to your county office AND to the EBT customer service line on the back of your card. Sometimes they can help track fraudulent transactions if you catch it quickly enough.

I'm really glad you shared this! These scam calls are becoming such a problem and it's scary how official they can sound. I had a similar experience about 6 months ago - the caller even knew my case number somehow and said there was an "urgent review" needed on my account. The thing that saved me was when they asked for my EBT PIN "to verify the account was still active." That's when I knew it was fake because my caseworker had specifically told me during orientation that NO ONE from the county would ever ask for my PIN. What's really disturbing is how they target people who rely on these benefits to feed their families. They know we might panic and give information if we think our food assistance is at risk. It's predatory and disgusting. For anyone reading this - if you get a suspicious call, just hang up and call your county office directly using the number from your official paperwork. Better to be cautious than sorry. And if you're not sure if a call was legitimate, check your BenefitsCal account for any official notices about your case.

This is such an important warning - thank you for sharing! I work at a community center and we've been seeing a huge spike in these EBT scam calls over the past few months. What's really concerning is that the scammers are getting more sophisticated and sometimes even have partial information about people's cases, which makes them seem more legitimate. A few additional red flags to watch for: - Pressure tactics like "your benefits will be suspended TODAY if you don't verify now" - Asking you to stay on the line while they "transfer you to a supervisor" - Requesting gift card numbers or other forms of payment to "reactivate" your account - Calling from spoofed numbers that look official but aren't We've started keeping a log of these scam reports to share with the county office. If anyone else gets these calls, please consider reporting the phone number and details to help protect other community members. The more information we can gather about their tactics, the better we can warn people about what to watch for. Stay vigilant everyone - these scammers specifically prey on people who need their benefits to survive, which makes them especially despicable.

I'm so sorry this happened to you but you absolutely did the right thing by hanging up! As someone who's been on CalFresh for a few years now, I can confirm that legitimate county workers will NEVER ask for your PIN or full EBT card number over the phone. Ever. What really gets me angry about these scams is how they specifically target people who are already struggling financially. They know we depend on these benefits and might panic when someone claims there's a problem with our account. It's absolutely disgusting. A few things I've learned from my own experiences: - Real county communications always come in writing first (mail or through your BenefitsCal account) - If they do call, they'll have your case number and worker ID, not ask for your EBT details - They'll never pressure you to "act now" or threaten immediate benefit suspension - Legitimate workers will always be fine with you saying "let me call you back through the main office number" You mentioned being worried about ignoring it if it was real - definitely check your BenefitsCal account online and call your county office using the official number from your paperwork if you want peace of mind. But I'm 99.9% sure what you got was a scam. Thanks for posting this warning - hopefully it helps other people recognize these calls for what they are!

This is such valuable information for our community! I'm relatively new to CalFresh and had no idea these scam calls were so prevalent. Reading everyone's experiences here has been both eye-opening and reassuring - it's clear that trusting your gut instinct was absolutely the right call. What really stands out to me from all these responses is how sophisticated these scammers have become. The fact that they're using official terminology, spoofing caller IDs, and even having partial case information is genuinely frightening. It shows they're specifically researching and targeting our community. I want to echo what others have said about the importance of never giving out your PIN - that's something that should ONLY be used by you at stores or ATMs. No legitimate government worker would ever need that information over the phone. For anyone who might be new to the system like I was, here's what I've learned from this thread: - Always verify by calling back through official county numbers - Check your BenefitsCal account for any real notices - Remember that legitimate issues come in writing first - Trust your instincts if something feels off Thank you so much to everyone who shared their experiences and advice. This kind of community support is invaluable in protecting each other from these predatory scams!