ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a new campaign on Monday aimed at encouraging Electronic Benefits Transfer cardholders to activate the state's new fraud-resistant chip-and-tap cards.
The Maryland Department of Human Services is expanding its outreach through a "Don't Wait, Activate" campaign featuring Moore. The advertisements are designed to reach Maryland households that have received new cards but have yet to activated them.
Maryland first announced the transition to the more secure cards in May. As of Aug. 23, about 58 percent of recipients of the new chip-and-tap EBT cards had activated them, according to the department.
“Everywhere we go, we hear from Marylanders struggling with the rising cost of living, so our administration is committed to providing relief to the communities that need it the most,” said Gov. Moore.
The department said current benefit balances will not change as part of the transition and will transfer automatically to the new cards.
Cardholders have until Sept. 30 to activate their new cards. Existing magnetic-stripe-only EBT cards will be deactivated after the deadline.
