Protect your EBT benefits
- Change your EBT PIN monthly by calling (877) 328-9677 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). It’s best to change your PIN the day before your monthly payment gets added to your card. To find your monthly payment day, see the last digit of your case number below your name on your EBT card.
- Check your EBT balance weekly by calling (877) 328-9677 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Check for unfamiliar charges.
- Cover the keypad when entering your PIN by using your free hand to shield your PIN from others or a camera.
- Never share your personal information, EBT card number, or PIN for any reason.
Lost or stolen EBT card?
Call NOW (877) 328-9677
(24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana)
We will never text or call you to ask for your EBT card number or PIN.
What is ebtEDGE?
Use ebtEDGE, the official government tool to protect your EBT card
Go to the Sitio web de ebtEDGE or download the ebtEDGE app from Google Play or the Apple App store, and create an account to:
- Freeze/unfreeze EBT card access
- solicitar una nueva tarjeta de EBT
- revisar el historial de transacciones
- Change your PIN, password, email address
- Block Internet or out-of-state transactions
SFHSA will never contact you asking for your personal information.
Questions? Call the EBT Customer Service helpline at (877) 328-9677.
Cómo reconocer estafas de EBT
Never respond to offers that include:
- A “free government cell phone” or “gift cards”.
- A “protection plan” from a company that says they are part of the state program.
- una advertencia de “ciudadanos preocupados” sobre la seguridad de la tarjeta de EBT con un número al que debe llamar que parece oficial
- Text messages or email asking for your personal EBT information. eg., “Your card is blocked, call this number” or “Give us your PIN so that we can unlock your account”
- Anyone asking for your social security number (SSN) to verify your benefits or confirm your identity.
How to request replacement of stolen EBT benefits
- If your EBT benefits were stolen, request a replacement by:
- Reporting the crime by calling (877) 328-9677 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
- Downloading, completing, and submitting Form 2259.
Common EBT scams
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received reports of individuals getting phone calls from scammers posing as USCIS representatives or other immigration-related organizations.
- These callers may ask about immigration status or case; request personal or financial information; and use technology to make the caller ID appear as a government agency or other legitimate number.
- Do not download or pay for unofficial EBT apps. You should never pay to access your EBT benefits.
- Use the official California State EBT app to manage your benefits: FIS ebtEDGE . The app is free and supported by the state of California.
- EBT skimming is when scammers use hidden devices to clone card strips and steal EBT benefits.
- SFHSA will never contact you asking for your personal information.
- If you receive a call, text message, or email asking for your personal EBT information, do not reply back.
- Scammers are claiming to offer a “free government smartphone” or other items and are asking people to give them their personal identifying information, including photos of their EBT card and their full Social Security Number. After being told they do not qualify for the item, victims later experience unauthorized PIN changes and transactions on their EBT accounts.
- A man on an e-bike, who calls himself “nurse Albert”, is riding around the Mission and Tenderloin neighborhoods in San Francisco taking people’s blood pressure and getting people’s personal information, including Medi-Cal numbers. He is giving out $15 dollars in exchange for people’s personal information.
Obtenga más información
- Video: Watch Out for EBT Scams! (English | Español)
- Folleto: Inglés | Español
Preguntas frecuentes
Yes! Do not respond to anyone who calls about your EBT card. We will never call or text you for your EBT information.
If someone calls asking for information about your EBT card or suggests that they are from a government agency and need your EBT PIN or any other personal information, it is fake call. Hang up!
If your EBT benefits were stolen, request a replacement by:
- Reporting the crime by calling (877) 328-9677 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
- Downloading, completing, and submitting Formulario 2259 .
Change your EBT PIN monthly by calling (877) 328-9677 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). It’s best to change your PIN the day before your monthly payment gets added to your card.
The EBT Customer Service phone number is (877) 328-9677
Report the crime by calling (877) 328-9677 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)