Maryland State Police warn shoppers of online scams over holiday season

PIKESVILLE, MD—The Maryland State Police Cyber Task Force is warning consumers to continue to proceed with caution while shopping online to avoid potential scams this holiday season. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2021 report, non-payment or non-delivery scams cost people more than $337 million annually. Credit card fraud accounted for another $173 million in losses. Consumers can […]

Governor Hogan announces preliminary FY24 budget plan, health care investments for rural and vulnerable communities [VIDEO]

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Thursday announced preliminary recommendations for the state’s Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget, a plan that supports continued economic growth and community revitalization, strong fiscal responsibility and budget sustainability, and key investments in critical areas—including expanding access to health care for rural and vulnerable communities. “I pledged to bring fiscal responsibility and common sense to our […]

Governor Hogan announces emergency order banning TikTok, other China-/Russia-based apps in state government

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced that the State of Maryland has issued an emergency cybersecurity directive to prohibit the use of certain Chinese and Russian-influenced products and platforms for the executive branch of state government, including TikTok. These entities present an unacceptable level of cybersecurity risk to the state, and may be involved in activities such as cyber-espionage, […]

Attorney General Frosh enters into multistate settlements addressing 2015 Experian data breach

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh this week announced separate settlements with Experian and T-Mobile concerning a 2015 data breach experienced by Experian that compromised the personal information of more than 15 million individuals who submitted credit applications with T-Mobile. The settlements were negotiated by a multistate work group that included 40 states and was led by the Maryland Attorney […]

Governor Hogan announces new state, local directors of cybersecurity

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced that the State of Maryland has hired John A. Bruns as the Director of State Cybersecurity and Netta Squires, Esq. as the Director of Local Cybersecurity. These positions were created as part of an overarching cybersecurity legislative package passed early this year. Both directors will work at the Department of Information Technology and […]

Governor Hogan, federal officials announce $22.9 million grant to expand Maryland’s offshore wind workforce

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan this week joined federal officials at Tradepoint Atlantic to announce the awarding of a $22.9 million American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge grant for the Maryland Department of Labor to implement a new apprenticeship model to support the region’s growing offshore wind industry. Maryland’s project is one of 32 chosen nationwide out of more than 500 […]

Governor Hogan announces supplemental budget for new public safety facilities, expanded cyber readiness, infrastructure and public health investments

ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan this week announced that he has submitted a $2.8 billion supplemental budget to the General Assembly that makes key investments in some of his administration’s core priorities, including support for police and public safety, an expanded cyber readiness and workforce initiative, and critical infrastructure and public health investments. This supplemental budget also funds top priorities for […]

Office of the Attorney General warns of text message phishing scam targeting Maryland unemployment insurance claimants

BALTIMORE, MD—The Office of the Attorney General is warning residents of a scheme in which fraudsters are impersonating the Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance in text messages. To remain protected from fraud, residents should access the BEACON claimant portal by visiting https://beacon.labor.maryland.gov/beacon/claimant-page.html directly, or by using the MD Unemployment for Claimants mobile app. Anyone who receives a […]