BALTIMORE — As Maryland sends out more secure EBT cards to families receiving food and cash assistance, scammers are trying to capitalize on the rollout.
A viewer who does not have an EBT card and never applied for benefits received a suspicious robocall and shared the voicemail with WMAR-2 News' Mallory Sofastaii.
“This is a call from the Maryland Electronic Benefits Transfer. Congratulations! You’ve been selected for new benefits on your Maryland EBT card,” the automated message said.
The call asks the recipient to press 1 to check their eligibility and claim the supposed benefits.
And there's another reason the call could appear legitimate: the number displayed on caller ID is the same number Maryland is telling customers to call to activate their new EBT cards.
The Maryland Department of Human Services confirmed to WMAR-2 News that the number was spoofed and the call did not come from the department.
“We are not doing any sort of automated robocalls to our customers, particularly ones asking for card information or PINs or anything of that nature,” said J.D. Douglass-Robinson, acting director of the Office of Benefits Access with the Maryland Department of Human Services' Family Investment Administration. “So yeah, it’s not coming from us.”
Sofastaii spoke with Douglass-Robinson last month as Maryland prepared to roll out the new, more secure cards.
The change follows years of rampant benefit theft. More than $51 million in benefits have been reported stolen in Maryland since 2023.
READ MORE: Maryland rolls out chip-enabled EBT cards after years of benefit theft
WMAR-2 News has been reporting on vulnerabilities with the old cards since 2022. Unlike most modern credit and debit cards, Maryland’s EBT cards relied on magnetic stripes and lacked chip technology, leaving card information vulnerable to skimmers and other methods of theft.
The state is now replacing those cards with versions that can be tapped or inserted.
“It was things like this, it was robocalls, it was scams, it was skimming — that’s why we’ve gotten to the point where we are now to improve and heighten the security of our cards,” Douglass-Robinson said.
DHS said it is communicating with customers about the new cards through letters, emails and text messages. The department is not making automated robocalls about the rollout.
Those communications tell customers when to expect their cards, how to activate them and which app to download.
“The correct app that customers should be downloading is called EBT Edge,” Douglass-Robinson said. “It has a little, like, fried egg icon on the iOS and Android store. That is the one they should be downloading.”
Douglass-Robinson said Maryland customers should not use an app called “EBT Edge New,” which is being used by other states but is not currently being used by Maryland.
What to do if you receive a suspicious EBT call
Because scammers can spoof caller ID, seeing the correct EBT phone number on your screen does not mean the call is legitimate.
If you receive an unexpected call, hang up and dial the official number yourself rather than responding to the incoming call or following its prompts.
DHS said customers should never share their EBT card number or PIN with anyone. State employees will never call or text customers asking for their card number or PIN, and the official state website will not ask for that information on its first page.
If you believe you gave your card number, PIN or other personal information to a scammer, DHS says to contact the department and report the fraud so your card can be locked down.
Deadline to activate new Maryland EBT cards
Marylanders who have not yet received their new EBT card should wait for it to arrive in the mail and follow the instructions included with the card.
Customers have until September 30 to activate their new card. After that, the old magnetic stripe EBT cards will be deactivated.
Click here for more information on how to freeze/unfreeze your EBT card to better protect your benefits.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.