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Virginia Rolls Out New Chip-and-Tap EBT Cards to Prevent Theft
The new dual-interface cards use chip and tap technology, and Virginia says they will help protect SNAP benefits from skimming.
- On Thursday, Governor Abigail Spanberger announced the rollout of new, more secure EBT cards equipped with chip-and-tap technology to better prevent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud and protect families from having their food assistance "skimmed."
- Skimming devices at points of sale capture card information to drain benefits before families can use them; new chips generate unique, encrypted codes for every transaction, making cards significantly more resistant to theft than traditional magnetic stripes.
- Virginia is the 8th state to adopt chip-enabled EBT cards and the 5th to use dual-interface technology that supports both tap and insert, aligning the Commonwealth's system with security standards used by banks and major retailers.
- Households do not need to take action to receive a new card, as benefits will continue without interruption; the initial rollout targets localities experiencing high benefit theft, with all cardholders expected to have new cards by the end of December 2026.
- California reported that benefit theft dropped 83 percent after switching to chip-enabled cards, demonstrating the potential for success; families with questions can contact the EBT Call Center, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Virginia rolls out more secure EBT cards to curb SNAP benefit theft
Virginia is replacing traditional food-assistance benefit cards with chip-enabled versions designed to make it harder for thieves to steal SNAP benefits from families. About 749,000 state residents receive assistance through the program. Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Thursday that the state…
·Washington, United States
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Roanoke Times+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
New SNAP EBT cards coming, in fraud crackdown
RICHMOND — In a push to crack down on benefit theft, the technology that lets you tap a credit card on a terminal to pay is coming to the cards Virginia issues to people receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)…
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