Stimulus Update: Beware of This Sneaky Facebook Scam

Yet more evidence you may not want to believe everything you read on social media.

If you've been on Facebook recently you may have noticed a seductive new ad. It looks like an IRS webpage and claims that the government now offers "health credits" to help Americans pay for groceries and other necessities.

But you must act fast. According to the ad, "Today is the last day for Americans to get $540/month thanks to this new gov benefit. Click below to claim."

So far, it seems intriguing. There's a picture of a U.S. Treasury check and references to the American Rescue Plan.

However, it's a scam. Here's what you need to know to protect yourself.

They sandwich a lie between facts

The American Rescue Plan did include subsidies that lowered healthcare costs for 13 million qualifying Americans. And then when the Inflation Reduction Act was signed by President Biden in August 2022, some American Rescue Plan benefits were extended.

Unless someone studied the American Rescue Plan or subsequent extension closely, there's a good chance they remember just enough about the inclusion of health benefits to make the Facebook ad feel relatively legit.

By burying the scam between actual facts, scammers know that they'll snag a few more victims.

It's possible that some people simply want to believe it. Healthcare in the U.S. is expensive and millions carry no insurance to help reduce the costs. An advertisement promising hundreds of dollars a month in health credits is sure to capture attention. This may be particularly true because the scam is directed at those earning less than $50,000 annually.

No matter how much we earn, though, everyone wants to lower their medical costs.

Garden variety propaganda

While the word "propaganda" may bring political campaigns to mind, it's a technique used throughout society. The goal of propaganda is to influence people's opinions and behaviors. In this case, the scammers want people to click on their link.

The ad mentioned above is part of a series of identical ads, meaning the scammers are employing one of the most common types of propaganda, called "ad nauseum marketing." Using ad nauseum marketing, scammers target the same audience repeatedly, hoping to stay fresh in their minds.

You're led down a different path

The ad promises that you can claim your health credits and what they call "free stimulus payments" from the federal government in exchange for taking a simple quiz. It's only after following a link that you land on a page revealing that the "advertised benefits are not government aid."

Where are they taking you? In this case they're trying to sell you insurance. Specifically, a Medicare supplement plan. These supplemental plans are not connected to or endorsed by the government or Medicare. Rather, they're sold by large insurance companies.

The scammers know that you may not need supplemental insurance, but figure that some of the people who follow them down the rabbit hole will. That's why they invite everyone to click on a large green link. To sweeten the pot, the ad says that those who follow the link can activate free health benefits "starting this week."

Tip: It's important to note that credible insurance companies will not attempt to trick you into buying a policy.

Telltale signs it's a scam

Here are a few indications that you're being scammed.

• URL inconsistencies: According to research conducted by AFP Fact Check, the advertisement claims to offer new government benefits. However, the link directs people to "givebackhotline.com" rather than the expected ".gov."
• Poor writing: There are many brilliant people who don't happen to be great writers. Still, poor writing is often a hallmark of scams. In this scam, poor punctuation was a dead giveaway.
• Unnecessary urgency: Scammers don't want to give people too much time to critically consider what they're getting themselves into. And it's for that reason that you'll see comments like, "Act Now!" or "Today's the last day."

Bottom line: Speaking with AFP, Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention programs at AARP, says that we should assume that any post on social media promising a new government benefit is a fraud.

It's about money

Every scam is different. Some lie to sell a product. Others use the personal information you provide to steal your identity. No matter how they go about it, scamming is always about separating you from the money in your bank account.

You can make it harder to steal from you by ignoring suspect ads and never clicking on one of their links.