Apple Store removes bogus app after EBT recipients warned

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.

- BY KAREN GARCIA

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.