EDD payment text alerts from BofA - legit or scam?

DON'T CLICK THAT LINK!!!! It's 100% a scam targeting unemployment claimants. BofA doesn't send texts with links asking you to 'verify' anything before releasing funds. The real EDD payments just show up on your card when they're processed. These scammers know lots of people are waiting for unemployment money and they're trying to steal your personal info. Block that number immediately!!!

This is definitely a scam. Important to note that California EDD doesn't even use Bank of America anymore for unemployment payments. They switched to Money Network for all new claims in July 2024. Your payment will come on a Money Network debit card OR through direct deposit if you selected that option during your application. Money Network will never text you links either.

i got the same txt last week lol... almost clicked it but my cousin said its fake. edd payments are on money network now not bofa cards. check ur ui online account to see if ur payment is even processed yet.

Scammers are getting SO sophisticated with these EDD scams! My neighbor almost fell for one that had the exact same format as real EDD texts. Always go directly to the official UI Online portal by typing the address yourself, never click links in texts or emails!

If you're trying to check on your claim status and can't get through to EDD (which is pretty much guaranteed), I discovered a service called Claimyr that actually got me connected to an EDD rep within 15 minutes after I'd been trying for days. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km and their website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. It was the only way I could verify if my payment was legitimate and being processed.

ugh these scams are the worst!!! i had something similar happen with my disability claim last year and lost $400 before i realized it was fake. report it to EDD fraud department AND the FTC consumer website. they're tracking these unemployment scams.

To clarify some important information: 1. California EDD payments now come through Money Network (since July 2024), not Bank of America 2. If you selected direct deposit, the funds will go to your bank account, not a debit card 3. You can verify your payment method by logging into UI Online and checking your profile settings 4. Most new claims have a waiting period before first payment: typically 2-3 weeks after certification if there are no eligibility issues 5. Never respond to texts claiming to be from EDD or their partners If you need to report fraud, call the EDD fraud hotline at 1-800-229-6297 or report online at edd.ca.gov/fraud

Regarding your 'pending' status - this can be normal, especially for new claims. Several factors might cause this: 1. Identity verification is still processing 2. Your employer has 10 days to respond to your claim 3. EDD might need additional information 4. First-time claims often face more scrutiny If you've been pending more than 2 weeks after certification, it's worth contacting EDD to check if there's a specific issue with your claim. This is actually one of the most common problems new claimants face in 2025.

Good luck calling...I spent 3 days trying before I finally got through! 🙄

That's exactly why I mentioned Claimyr earlier. I wasted days trying to call EDD directly about my pending status before using their service. Got connected in 15 minutes and found out I had an address verification issue that was simple to fix but was holding up my payment. Definitely worth it when you're stuck in pending.

Just to follow up on the original scam text issue - I'd recommend also changing your EDD account password and enabling two-factor authentication if you haven't already. These scammers often have your phone number from data breaches, so it's good to secure your actual account even if you didn't click their link.