SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It’s a food program that helps families provide their kids with food during the summer when children don’t have access to school meals.
However, ABC 10News learned a contractor charged with helping these families was involved in a data breach involving hundreds of SUN Bucks EBT cards.
SUN Bucks EBT cards are part of a program facilitated by the California Department of Social Services. Each eligible child, usually from lower-income families, receives $120 in food benefits.
In 2024, ABC 10News spoke to a woman who said her SUN Bucks cards were drained before she got a chance to use them. She found out her three cards were used online at Walmart stores in Texas.
“We were really looking forward to having the cards because normally the kids went to school, they had their breakfast and their lunch. While they weren't in school, it's a little bit more difficult,” said Jessica Franks, a mother of three.
At the time, ABC 10News anchor Melissa Mecija asked the Department of Social Services about how much fraud there was connected to the EBT cards. A spokesperson said they did not have specifics because the program was new.
ABC 10News followed up this summer as a new round of SUN Bucks cards was mailed out to millions of Californians.
The Department of Social Services revealed it became aware of a “fraud scheme” in July 2024 involving employees of a contractor hired to operate the SUN Bucks call center.
According to a spokesperson, 507 SUN Bucks cards were a part of this data breach. The total loss was $60,840.
An additional 95 P-EBT cards were also involved.
A department spokesperson said affected families were notified and reimbursed. Those reimbursements were funded by the contractor.
According to the department, there were no other reports of suspected theft or fraud in 2024.
The Department of Social Services confirmed the contractor involved was the Foundation for California Community Colleges, which still has an ongoing partnership with the state agency.
A spokesperson said:
The Department of Social Services confirmed the foundation still operates the SUN Bucks call center.
A spokesperson said the number of confirmed SUN Bucks card fraud cases is small.
“For context, over 5.6 million cards were issued in 2024,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.
As of June 22, more than 2.3 million SUN Bucks cards were issued for summer 2025. More than $87 million in benefits has been spent.
The department does not track the number of fraud-related complaints to the SUN Bucks call center.
The Foundation for California Community Colleges is still operating the call center.
