California officers are warning of a phony digital profit switch cellular utility that they allege is posing as a state-sponsored device and making an attempt to rip-off monetary help recipients with pointless charges.
The fraudulent app obtainable for obtain on the Apple App Retailer is known as “Ebt edge – meals stamps” which bears an identical title to the true state-sponsored cellular utility “ebtEDGE,” officers stated.
California’s “ebtEDGE,” a cellular app and web-based portal, was launched in November 2023 as a free device for EBT cardholders to handle their advantages. The EBT card, just like a debit card, permits recipients of economic help packages equivalent to CalFresh to make use of their advantages to buy groceries at on-line and brick-and-mortar shops.
The California Division of Social Providers grew to become conscious of the non-state-sponsored app on Sept. 10 and alerted the Apple App Retailer of its existence that day, stated Jason Montiel, spokesperson for the state division.
Apple didn’t instantly reply to The Occasions’ request for touch upon Thursday. The developer of the app couldn’t be reached. The app gave the impression to be obtainable for obtain as of Thursday.
The app, “Ebt edge – meals stamps” requires customers to enter EBT card info and fees them $4.99 every week or $60 for lifetime entry. The app says it consists of profit administration companies and paid content material, nevertheless it’s not clear what sort of content material it offers.
The associated fee was a transparent signal to officers that the app was not authentic. California’s app would by no means cost EBT cardholders a price to make use of it, Montiel stated.
One other strategy to spot the true app from the faux one is by the brand. The state’s cellular app icon has an image of a fried egg with a black background. The non-state-sponsored app has an image of a grocery cart, an EBT card and the phrases “EBT meals stamps.”
As of April 29, the state division has issued 4.4. million EBT playing cards both by mail or by the recipients’ native county workplace. Through the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal yr, California reported 80,620 fraudulent transaction claims linked to EBT playing cards, in accordance with the U.S. Division of Agriculture which tracks fraudulent and stolen profit claims.
Any EBT cardholder who suspects they might have been a sufferer of advantages theft ought to instantly contact their native county social companies workplace. Cardholders may also name the EBT Buyer Service Line at (877) 328-9677 to cancel their EBT card and request a brand new one.
