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Facebook posts
stated on January 15, 2024 in a video:
Congress has passed a $6,400 subsidy for low-income Americans.
- Congress
- Facebook Fact-checks
- Facebook posts
By Kwasi Gyamfi AsieduJanuary 19, 2024
If Your Time is short
Congress has passed no legislation giving $6,400 to low-income families.
The claim is the latest scam fact-checked by PolitiFact that targets vulnerable families and offers enticing, nonexistent government programs.
No spin, just facts you can trust. Here's how we do it.
See the sources for this fact-check
If you are down on your financial luck, a new social media post claiming you’re eligible for up to $6,400 from Congress to cover basic needs may sound appealing.
A Jan. 15 Facebook video claims low-income Americans can access a new 2024 congressional subsidy to help pay for everything from rent to groceries. The post features a video that appears to be a CNN broadcast with the caption: "Claim your part today: It is the financial relief 33.5 million Americans have been waiting for!"
"The new subsidy announced by Congress this January is giving $6,400 worth of credits to low- income Americans, including zero-dollar health care, which should allow them to afford essentials such as groceries, gas and rent," a narrator said.
In the video, a woman makes a phone call and talks to an operator about claiming this subsidy. "The $6,400 credits are real. so I can help you qualify for that quickly," the operator said. The post links to a website where visitors are asked to provide personal information.
The post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
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We could not find any such subsidy passed by Congress when we reviewed LegiScan, a website that tracks bills through the legislative process. The website associated with the post, americasavingplan.com, is not maintained by the federal government, and we could not find evidence of any such CNN broadcast.
Scams online are as old as the internet itself, but this post is part of a new wave that targets low-income people and offers enticing, but nonexistent, government subsidies. In recent weeks, PolitiFact has checked many similar claims promising to connect low-income earners with financial assistance from the government or to help with credit card debt. Such claims often use the same $6,400 figure and buzzwords such as "zero-dollar healthcare."
Online scammers employ these schemes to extract money from unsuspecting people or use personal details, such as Social Security numbers, to steal people’s identities.
The government has noticed this trend, and agencies such the Federal Trade Commission have tips for spotting and reporting scams.
"Offers of free money from government grants are scams," the commission said. "Scammers make big promises. They might say you can get free money or a grant to pay for education, home repairs, home business expenses, household bills, or other personal needs."
We rate the claim that Congress has passed a $6,400 subsidy for low-income Americans False.
Read About Our Process
The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter
Our Sources
Facebook post (archive link)
PolitiFact, Video on 'American Debt Relief' program misleads, Oct. 20, 2023
LegiScan, US Legislation | 2023-2024 | 118th Congress, accessed Jan. 17, 2024
.Gov, We put U.S. governments on the internet, accessed Jan. 17, 2024
FTC, How Government Grant Scammers Try To Trick You, accessed Jan. 17, 2024
PolitiFact, Scam alert: U.S. government isn’t giving out $6,400 subsidies through Inflation Reduction Act update, Dec. 8, 2023
USA.gov, Avoid "free money" from the government scams, accessed Jan. 18, 2024
PolitiFact, Don’t fall for this scam: the U.S. isn’t giving everyone $6,400, Nov. 29, 2023
PolitiFact, No, this video doesn’t show Trump promoting $6,400 spending cards, Dec. 21, 2023
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
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