When finally rolled out, California would become the first state to equip EBT cards with a commonplace level of fraud protection available to debit and credit card users since 2015.
Thieves use hidden skimming devices at ATMs, grocery store payment terminals and gas pumps to steal users' information when they swipe the magnetic stripes, then drain their accounts.
The thefts have left low-income families waiting extra days or even weeks for their full CalFresh and CalWORKs benefits, affecting thousands of families a month.
California social services officials were aware of the risks of unprotected EBT cards at least two years before the theft wave began in 2021.
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