California officials are warning of a phony electronic benefit transfer mobile application that they allege is posing as a state-sponsored tool and trying to scam financial assistance recipients with unnecessary fees.
The fraudulent app available for download on the Apple App Store is called “Ebt edge – food stamps” which bears a similar name to the real state-sponsored mobile application “ebtEDGE,” officials said.
California’s “ebtEDGE,” a mobile app and web-based portal, was launched in November 2023 as a free tool for EBT cardholders to manage their benefits. The EBT card, similar to a debit card, allows recipients of financial assistance programs such as CalFresh to use their benefits to purchase groceries at online and brick-and-mortar stores.
The California Department of Social Services became aware of the non-state-sponsored app on Sept. 10 and alerted the Apple App Store of its existence that day, said Jason Montiel, spokesperson for the state department.
Apple did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Thursday. The developer of the app could not be reached. The app appeared to be available for download as of Thursday.
The app, “Ebt edge – food stamps” requires users to input EBT card information and charges them $4.99 a week or $60 for lifetime access. The app says it includes benefit management services and paid content, but it’s not clear what type of content it provides.
The cost was a clear sign to officials that the app was not legitimate. California’s app would never charge EBT cardholders a fee to use it, Montiel said.
Another way to spot the real app from the fake one is by the logo. The state’s mobile app icon has a picture of a fried egg with a black background. The non-state-sponsored app has a picture of a grocery cart, an EBT card and the words “EBT food stamps.”
As of April 29, the state department has issued 4.4. million EBT cards either by mail or through the recipients’ local county office. During the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, California reported 80,620 fraudulent transaction claims connected to EBT cards, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture which tracks fraudulent and stolen benefit claims.
Any EBT cardholder who suspects they may have been a victim of benefits theft should immediately contact their local county social services office. Cardholders can also call the EBT Customer Service Line at (877) 328-9677 to cancel their EBT card and request a new one.
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