New year, old scam: Stimulus hoax circulates on Facebook
Social media posts claim a new emergency relief program offers $1,000 stimulus checks to cover living expenses, showing images of President-elect Donald Trump. This is false; no such program has been announced as of January 9, 2025, and the posts link to websites not affiliated with the US government.
"Claim your giveback benefit before it disappears," says a January 2, 2025 Facebook post.
"You were supposed to get your $1,000 emergency relief card this week. We've rushed through a new cost of living stimulus. However, because it was passed as a temporary measure it must end in exactly nine days. Everyone gets it, no exceptions, no personal information, no proof of income, no red tape, and you can spend it however you want," says the video encouraging users to click the link below. The video includes clips of Trump and other footage.
However, this is the latest iteration in a series of deceptive Facebook posts that promote supposed stimulus benefits.
Trump's team has pledged to impose sweeping tariffs on goods entering the United States and to deport millions of undocumented workers, leading many economists to predict inflation could be higher than previously anticipated, and growth lower.
Trump and his economic advisors have challenged those assumptions, insisting that his policies will be both disinflationary and pro-growth.
According to the Internal Revenue Service, three stimulus checks were issued during the Covid-19 pandemic: one in 2020 and two in 2021 (archived here). Although those who did not claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit might be eligible to receive these funds if they have filed their 2021 tax returns before April 15, 2025, this is not what the posts are advertising (archived here).
The social media posts imply that Trump passed a new emergency relief act, policy, or credit, but the Republican does not officially return to the White House until January 20. And AFP found no credible reports of a new stimulus program existing as of January 8, 2025.
The posts link to a commercial website called PrizeStash which displays an image of a Visa gift card and encourages users enter for a chance to "win a $1,000 stimulus."
Contrary to the promise of the video on Facebook, the site asks for personal information including address, phone number and email. In the fine print, it says entrants are giving "express written consent to Unified Marketing Partners LLC" for affiliated companies to contact them.
The government does not offer free money or grants to people for personal needs, according to USA Gov, the official web portal of the United States (archived here), which says these offers are often scams.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), says several signs can help determine if a post is a scam, including: pretending to be from an organization you know, claiming there is a problem or prize and pressuring you to act immediately (archived here).
Individuals are encouraged to report potential scams to the FTC here.
AFP has previously debunked other inaccurate claims about financial relief offers here.
