CalWORKs benefit stolen from EBT card at 1AM - thought funds weren't available until 6AM?

I'm so sorry this happened to you! You need to report this IMMEDIATELY. Cash Aid funds can actually become available as early as midnight on the deposit date, not 6am. That's probably what happened here. Call EBT Customer Service right away at 1-877-328-9677 to report the card as stolen. Then call your county CalWORKs office to report the theft of benefits. You should also file a police report. Ask for an "EBT-2259" form - it's for reporting stolen benefits. The county will investigate but it can take time to get replacement benefits.

This happened to me last December!!! Except they took mine at like 3am from a 7-11 ATM. Turns out someone cloned my card somehow. I had to file a police report, the EBT-2259 form, and it took like 6 weeks to get my money back. The worst part was my worker was basically like "should have been more careful with your card" even tho I HAD MY CARD THE WHOLE TIME!!! The system is so messed up.

You definitely need to call EBT customer service immediately at 1-877-328-9677 and report the stolen benefits. Then you need to contact your county CalWORKs office. The county can issue emergency benefits in some cases while they investigate the theft. Make sure to ask about that specifically. California has a process for replacing stolen Cash Aid, but you need to start the process ASAP. I'm really sorry you're dealing with this.

theres a lot of EBT scams going around rn. someone probably put a skimmer on an ATM u used before. they copy ur card info and make fake cards. gotta check the atm next time for anything that looks weird or loose on the card slot. btw the benefit comes in at midnight not 6am, never heard of 6am before

I had this exact problem last year and the biggest issue was getting through to someone at the county office. I kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they have a system that calls the county for you and then calls you back when a real person answers. Saved me hours of frustration. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/jzISHxCPLwE. After I finally got through, I was able to submit the EBT-2259 form and eventually got my benefits replaced. But definitely report it ASAP because there's a time limit for filing the claim!

OMG I'M SO SICK OF THIS HAPPENING TO PEOPLE!!! The county acts like we're lying when our benefits get stolen. My cousin had the EXACT same thing happen and the county worker basically accused her of taking the money herself and making up a story. She had to fight for 2 months to get her money back. DEMAND to speak to a supervisor when you get through. And yeah, benefits actually deposit at midnight, not 6am. The whole system is rigged against us, I swear.

Did u check if maybe you authorized any automatic bill payments? Sometimes if u set up auto-pay with ur EBT card for certain bills they'll take it out at weird times. Happened to me once with my phone bill and i freaked out thinking it was stolen.

Make sure when you file the EBT-2259 form that you provide as much detail as possible. Include the police report number, the exact amount stolen, the date and time of the theft, and that you had possession of your physical card the whole time. Ask for emergency replacement benefits due to hardship while they investigate. By law, they're supposed to help expedite benefits when there are children in the household who have critical needs. Also, as soon as you can, go into BenefitsCal and change your PIN number, and request a brand new EBT card.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's absolutely terrifying when your benefits get stolen, especially when you have kids depending on that money. You're doing all the right things by filing the police report and calling EBT customer service. One thing that might help while you're waiting for the replacement benefits - contact local food banks or churches in your area. Many have emergency food assistance for families in crisis situations like this. Also, if you haven't already, make sure to tell the county worker that you have children and that this is creating a food emergency for your household. They're supposed to prioritize cases involving kids. Hang in there - I know it feels overwhelming right now but you're taking the right steps to get this resolved.