Baltimore, MD - Feb. 7, 2023 - EBT cards from many community members have been compromised and thousands of dollars have been drained from their accounts. This is unfortunately consistent with the same issue reported nationally.

While many security measures have been put in place over the years to combat credit card fraud in general, such as contactless payments and embedded microchips, unfortunately the EBT card does not have some of these protections.

EBT cards do not have a chip, nor do they have contactless pay, which makes it more susceptible to theft.

The best way to protect against EBT fraud is to change your PIN frequently.

If your card has been compromised, changing your PIN can make all the difference in stopping a thief from accessing your card and using all the available funds.

For regular credit cards it is preferred not to swipe the card, but rather to insert and use the chip, contactless pay, or Apple Pay, Google Pay or similar apps.

Of course, if you are a victim of EBT fraud, please make sure to report it immediately to EBT and to your local police department.