Apple Store removes bogus app after California warns EBT recipients
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- California officials are warning EBT cardholders to beware of an app that’s posing as a state-sponsored tool and trying to charge people unnecessary fees.
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.
Until Friday, the app called “Ebt edge - food stamps” which bears a similar name to the real state-sponsored mobile application “ebtEDGE,” was available on the Apple App Store and had caused concern for state officials, the state Department of Social Services 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.
As of Friday, the app has been removed from the App Store and the developer’s account, which contained three apps including the phony EBT app, was terminated, according to Apple.
The developer of the app could not be reached.
The app, “Ebt edge - food stamps” required users to input EBT card information and charged them $4.99 a week or $60 for lifetime access. The app said it included benefit management services and paid content, but it wasn’t clear what type of content it provided.
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 agency 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.
According to Apple’s App Review Guidelines, applications that mimic or impersonate other apps will be investigated, and if the app has violated the Developer Code of Conduct, it could result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.
In 2024, Apple ended more than 146,000 developer accounts over fraud concerns.
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