Beware: EBT cardholder scam

BEWARE! 

If you are an EBT cardholder and receive a text, call or email asking for your card number, PIN or any personal information, do NOT provide it. There are reports of an EBT scam and attempts to steal benefits. For any questions regarding your EBT card, please call 1 (877) 328-9677 or visit MyBenefitsCalWIN.org.

¡TENER CUIDADO!

Si es titular de una tarjeta EBT y recibe un mensaje de texto, una llamada o un correo electrónico solicitando su número de tarjeta, PIN o cualquier información personal, NO lo proporcione. Hay informes de una estafa de EBT e intentos de robar beneficios. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre su tarjeta EBT, llame al 1 (877) 328-9677 o visite MyBenefitsCalWIN.org.

Don't fall for it: fake letter

It has been reported that a fraudulent notice, claiming to be from the California Department of Social Services, is being circulated in some parts of the state (see below). The notice says COVID-19 testing is mandatory to continue receiving benefits, and that children can be removed from the home of COVID-19 positive parents. Both of these statements are false. 

Please be vigilant of potentially fraudulent information. If you encounter any fraudulent notices or activity, report this to your local law enforcement agency or the District Attorney’s office.

EBT Theft Alert

There has been a substantial increase in fraudulent EBT transactions out of state over the past two months. The majority of stolen benefits are being withdrawn from ATMs in Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey.

In order to protect clients, EBT ATM transaction blocking has been implemented in impacted areas of Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey as of today, March 10, 2020. This applies to ATM withdrawals only. Transactions at FNS authorized food retailers are still fully functional.

Cardholders attempting to withdraw cash at an ATM in those states will receive a general message stating their transaction is declined. Specific messaging varies between ATM owners.

Cardholders currently traveling or planning travel to Florida, Georgia, or New Jersey and legitimately needing access to their benefits via ATM withdrawals must call the EBT customer service line at (877) 328-9677 and request an exception for their card in that particular state. They will need to verify their SSN and birthdate to do so. For clients without SSNs, they simply need to identify that nuance and provide birthdate. The block on these cards will be removed within 24 hours of the confirmed request.

Even though EBT ATM withdrawal blocking is not being implemented in California or Santa Barbara County, we want to make you aware that cardholders traveling or planning to travel to Florida, Georgia, or New Jersey and needing to access their benefits via ATM will need to call the EBT customer service line at (877) 328-9677 and request an exception for their card in that particular state.

Also, the (877) 328-9677 customer service number may be used by cardholders to report suspicious activity at any time.

We will continue to monitor the situation.

Beware of scams

If you're enrolled in a public assistance program that uses an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card, remember: Never share your EBT card number and PIN number, because that information can be used to steal your benefits. The county or state will NEVER call or text you to request this information.

Criminals may contact you by text (example), phone (example), or mail (example), and try to get you to divulge personal information. Don't be fooled.

Here are some more tips to safeguard your personal information, account passwords, and other private information:

• Know who you share information with. Ask questions before deciding to share personal information.
• Store and dispose of personal information securely, especially your Social Security number.
• Maintain appropriate security on electronic devices.

For more information about scams involving public assistance EBT cards, visit the California Department of Social Services' website at http://www.ebtproject.ca.gov/clients/scam.html.

Note: On rare occasions, due to an issue such as large-scale data theft, banks may need to block ATM withdrawals on EBT cards (example). If this occurs, you can call the EBT customer service line at 1 (877) 328-9677 for information or to request an exception to unblock your card. You can also use that customer service phone number to report suspicious activity.

Mail EBT scam reported 4/25/19

The California Department of Social Services has alerted us to a new EBT card scam that involves regular mail.

The client received a letter in the mail that instructed them to call a specified phone number to renew their benefits. 

If you have received a letter and you're not sure it's legitimate, please contact your worker or nearest Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services office, and/or email a copy of the letter and envelope to cdssebt@dss.ca.gov. 

Phone scam reported 10/24/18

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has alerted the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services (DSS) that fraudulent phone calls are being received by the public in our area. Here is the SSA's warning:

• The SSA Inspector General is warning the public of an ongoing caller-ID “spoofing” scheme misusing the SSA’s national customer service phone number. 
• The SSA has received numerous reports of questionable phone calls displaying SSA’s 1-800 number on a caller-ID screen. This is a scam; citizens should not engage with those calls or provide any personal information. 
• The caller identifies themselves as an SSA employee and asks for the person’s personal information. 
• SSA employees do not contact citizens by telephone for customer-service purposes. In some situations, an SSA employee may request the citizen confirm personal information over the phone.
• However, SSA employees will never threaten you for information or promise a Social Security benefit approval or increase in exchange for information. 
• SSA’s advice to the public is: 
• The calls are fraudulent, and you should just hang up. 
• Please be aware that phone numbers can be spoofed. If you answer a call from a number you know, but you do not recognize the caller, hang up. 
• The SSA urges citizens to be extremely cautious, and to avoid providing information such as your SSN or bank account numbers to unknown persons over the phone or internet unless you are certain of who is receiving it. 
• If you receive a suspicious call from someone alleging to be from SSA, you should report that information to the OIG at 1-800-269-0271 or online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report

Clients are advised to protect themselves and their personal information.

Text EBT scam reported 11/6/17

The California Department of Social Services has alerted us to a new EBT card scam that involves text messaging.

The scam involves clients receiving a text message about their public assistance benefit that instructs them to call a number. When the client calls the number on the text message they are prompted by an automated system to "register their EBT card" or they won't have access to their benefits. Victims of the scam in some counties in California have entered their EBT card number, PIN and social security number, leaving themselves open to potential identify theft or benefits being stolen. Programs targeted by the scammers appear to include CalWORKs and CalFresh, though other public assistance programs may also be targeted.

Remember:

• Never share your EBT card number and PIN number: this information can be used to steal your benefits. 
• Beware of scams: the county or state will NEVER call or text you to request this information.

For more information about scams involving public assistance EBT cards, visit the California Department of Social Services' website at http://www.ebtproject.ca.gov/clients/scam.html.