The holidays are an easy way to target people for money. Scammers are getting more creative in their attempts to steal and trick people. Some people in California are getting phone calls in regards to their unemployment benefits. These phone calls are aiming to get personal information from the people who are on unemployment. This is a popular tactic and is often known as phishing. A Bank of America debit card is the way the people of California receive their benefits via unemployment. Several Californians are getting these phone calls and also getting odd responses. Several people are coming forward and reporting information to the proper authorities, according to the SFGate.

Many people are getting the call from someone claiming to be from the Employment Development Division. “This is a scam,” EDD spokesman Dan Stephens said in a written response to The Chronicle’s questions. “Neither EDD nor Bank of America will ever contact a claimant and ask them to provide this information.Given that over 1.4 million people in California have been issued EDD debit cards, scammers making random robocalls to households in California are as likely to use EDD or BofA in their phishing efforts as they are any other institution, in their attempt to gather personal banking information from unsuspecting individuals,” he wrote. “We do not believe it is reasonable to jump to the conclusion that the scammers have specific information.”

Stephens has confirmed that no information has been lost and that they can verify this. It’s hard to tell how many people have been targeted in an attempt to solicit this information.  EDD first received information on this scam in November and are doing everything they can to investigate it. “EDD’s Investigations Division is also looking into the information that has been provided to us by our customers and has determined that some of the calls did originate from telephone numbers that are known to be associated with ‘phishing’ scams,” Stephens exclaimed.  California is one of many states that give out these debit cards for people who are on unemployment.

Many states are using these Bank of America cards because they are easy on the wallet. Consumers can use these cards with minimal fees. This is ideal for those who have to use these cards for unemployment reasons. These cards also seem to be the safest when it comes to finding a prepaid debit card that can be protected.

In regards to this scam, please remember to never give your information out to anyone. It’s easy for someone to access your information when you are the one giving them the codes. If you have any questions in regards to being scammed from this issue in California, make sure to contact the proper authorities. Many people are speaking up about the scam and officials are hoping to put a stop to it soon.