The County of Los Angeles is introducing a new EBT card this summer.
On July 24, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors requested a report from the County’s Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) on preparations for the implementation of the new EBT cards and the development of its promotional campaign.
California has announced plans to implement EBT cards with chip and contactless payment technology beginning this summer to reduce EBT card fraud.
The new cards will feature embedded chips to enable more secure payments and provide greater protection than traditional magnetic stripe technology.
The county plans to launch a public campaign to promote the transition to the new cards before full implementation. EBT card fraud has increased more than sixfold, from about $950,000 in 2021 to $61.3 million in 2023, according to the county.
This year alone, the four-month period from January through April has already seen $20.8 million in damage from EBT fraud, prompting many beneficiaries and taxpayers to call for new security measures.
The board expects that the introduction of chip and tap technology will effectively prevent fraud, such as card skimming.
BY JOONHO CHOI, HOONSIK WOO [choi.joonho1@koreadaily.com]
