CalWORKs EBT theft FINALLY resolved - my 3-week nightmare is over
After the most stressful 3 weeks of my life, I finally got my stolen CalWORKs benefits back yesterday!!! Someone skimmed my EBT card on March 2nd and took ALL $842 of my cash aid that's supposed to last my kids and me the whole month. I reported it immediately but the worker said there was a huge backlog of benefit theft claims. Rent was already late, had to borrow money from everyone I know just to keep the lights on. Filled out the EBT-2259 form, submitted bank statements showing I was nowhere near the ATM where the money was taken, and STILL had to call like 15 times. Finally yesterday they deposited the stolen amount back on my card! For anyone dealing with this nightmare - DON'T GIVE UP! Keep calling, document everything, and ask for supervisors if needed. They told me they're seeing a ton of skimming cases right now.
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Anastasia Popova
Congrats on getting your benefits back! EBT theft has become so common with these card skimmers. For anyone dealing with this: make sure you file a police report too - the county won't always tell you this but it speeds up the investigation process for your claim. Also, remember to change your PIN immediately if this happens, and check your balance frequently. I recommend withdrawing your cash aid as soon as it hits your account instead of leaving it on the card.
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Diego Mendoza
•Thank you! I did file a police report but they acted like they couldn't do anything. The officer barely wrote anything down. But I did bring the report number when I went to the office and maybe that helped? And YES about withdrawing right away - that's exactly what I did yesterday. Not leaving a penny on that card anymore.
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Sean Flanagan
This happened to me 2x last year!!! The 1st time they gave me my money back in like 1 week but the 2nd time it took FOREVER almost 2 months. I was so broke had to get emergency food boxes. Were u able to get any emergency aid while waiting? My worker said they didn't do that
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Diego Mendoza
•No emergency aid at all! They said since my CalFresh wasn't stolen (I had already used most of it thankfully), I didn't qualify for emergency food assistance. And they said there's no emergency cash program while waiting for theft claims to process. It's crazy they make us wait so long when they KNOW this wasn't our fault!
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Zara Shah
The whole EBT system is RIGGED AGAINST US! They make these flimsy magnetic stripe cards knowing they're easy to skim instead of giving us chip cards like EVERY OTHER BANK IN AMERICA!! Then they act like it's OUR FAULT when the money gets stolen and make us jump through 50 hoops to get OUR MONEY back. I'm still waiting for my $763 from a theft in January!!! Every time I call they say "still processing" - WHAT IS THERE TO PROCESS??? The money was taken from an ATM in SAN DIEGO and I live in SACRAMENTO!!
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NebulaNomad
•Wait they're supposed to be rolling out the chip cards soon! My worker told me California is finally upgrading the EBT cards this year to help prevent skimming. Too little too late for so many of us though. And you're right - the burden of proof is completely on us when WE'RE the victims!
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Luca Ferrari
glad u got ur money back
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Diego Mendoza
•Thanks! It was such a relief. My kids were so confused why we couldn't get groceries at our normal store.
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Nia Wilson
For anyone dealing with this issue, here's what you need to do step by step: 1. Report the theft to EBT Customer Service IMMEDIATELY (877-328-9677) 2. Request and complete Form EBT-2259 (Cash Aid Theft Claim) 3. File a police report and get the report number 4. Submit both the form and police report to your county CalWORKs office 5. Follow up every 3-5 business days By law, they should process these claims within 10 business days, but with the increase in theft cases, many counties are backed up. If you're not getting anywhere with regular customer service, I highly recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to reach an actual worker at your county office. They can connect you directly without the usual wait times. I was on hold for 3+ hours before, but got through in minutes using their service. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE that shows how it works.
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Mateo Martinez
•Does this work 4 CalFresh theft 2? my snap benifits got stolen last month and still waiting. does the police even do anything? seem like waste of time going to them for ebt theft
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NebulaNomad
I'm so happy you got your money back! Did they reimburse you for any late fees you had to pay for rent or bills? I'm in the middle of a similar situation - my cash aid was stolen last week ($692) and I'm freaking out about bills. Did you have to go into the office or were you able to handle everything by phone/online?
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Diego Mendoza
•No reimbursement for late fees at all! I had to pay $75 late fee for rent plus $35 for late utility payment. When I asked about it, they just said "that's not covered under the theft claim process." I ended up having to go to the office in person after getting nowhere on the phone. Bringing printed copies of everything seemed to help - bank statements, the police report, and the completed form. Good luck with your claim!
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Aisha Hussain
my sister got her card skimmed and they took her money the samw day she got it. she went to the office and told them she needs this money for her kids and they gave her some kind of emergency payment while they processed the claim. it wasn't the full amount but it was something. maybe ask about that? not sure what its called tho
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Zara Shah
•That's interesting because when I asked about emergency funds they flat out told me there was NOTHING they could do while waiting for the claim! It probably depends on your county and which worker you get. Some actually try to help and others just want to get you off the phone as fast as possible. The whole system is inconsistent!
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Diego Mendoza
Update: I just found out my neighbor's benefits were stolen too! Same day as mine. We think there might be a skimmer at the corner store where we both shop. BE CAREFUL everyone and maybe only use ATMs inside actual banks if possible.
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Anastasia Popova
•This is really valuable information! If multiple people in the same area are experiencing theft, definitely report this pattern to both the police and your CalWORKs office. They can alert the fraud investigation unit. Also, when using any ATM or payment terminal, always tug on the card reader first to check if a skimmer has been attached. They're often designed to look like part of the machine but can be pulled off.
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