Maryland Cuts Benefit Theft 71% With Chip-and-Tap EBT Cards

Maryland says its switch to chip-and-tap EBT cards cut benefit theft by 71% and saved taxpayers approximately $2.2 million. Gov. Wes Moore's office and the Maryland Department of Human Services announced the figures Wednesday, comparing July through September 2026 with the same period last year.

Total reimbursements for stolen benefits fell from roughly $3.14 million in July through September 2025 to $898,000 this year, the governor's office says. Claims submitted by customers dropped 65%, from 8,817 to 3,062. SNAP reimbursements fell 73%, from $2.54 million to $678,000. SUN Bucks reimbursements fell 79%, from $49,000 to $10,500, and cash assistance reimbursements fell 62%, from $555,000 to $208,000.

Maryland was the fourth state to adopt chip-enabled EBT cards, according to the governor's office. The cards are built to defeat card skimming by making stolen card data harder to use. The state paired the cards with tighter fraud monitoring, stronger claim validation and a new EBT processor. Gov. Moore said the cards let Marylanders put food on the table without fear of stolen benefits.

The state says old magnetic-stripe-only cards will deactivate soon and is urging cardholders who have not activated a new card to do so. Benefit amounts, balances and deposit schedules do not change with the new cards, the office says.