Scam alert: U.S. government isn’t giving out $6,400 subsidies through Inflation Reduction Act update

Some social media posts are claiming the U.S. government is giving out thousands of dollars in monthly subsidies. But this is no holiday miracle; it’s a scam.

A Dec. 5 Facebook video showed clips of members of Congress clapping and crowds of people grocery shopping. The video’s narrator said, "The new Inflation Reduction Act has just been updated to give Americans making less than $50,000 per year up to $6,400 in subsidies every single month."

The video claimed this monthly subsidy could be used on rent, gas, groceries and other personal expenses. The Facebook post’s caption urged people to "claim their $6,400 in subsidies" before the Dec. 8 deadline.

(Screengrab from Facebook)

This 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.)

Misleading posts promising free and fast money are common on social media platforms. PolitiFact has debunked similar claims in the past.

This Facebook post says to receive the $6,400 subsidy, people can click the link below the video, answer a few questions and "hop on the phone with an agent to verify your information."

However, the link leads to a webpage with the URL "secretsavingsusa.com" that’s not affiliated with the U.S. government. The site says, "Americans can now claim up to $1,400 in gov. subsidies to use on rent, groceries, gas and more!" It says this subsidy is available through health insurance policies.

Featured Fact-check

Instagram posts

stated on November 12, 2024 in an Instagram post

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are “part of the World Economic Forum.”

The site prompts people to answer questions about their income and whether they’re on Medicare or Medicaid. If a person answers that their income is under $50,000 and they’re not on Medicare or Medicaid, the site says, "Congratulations!" and shows a phone number to call to sign up. We called the number and reached an unidentified agent who asked for our income, tax filing status and birth date. The person hung up before we shared a birth date.

Regardless, we searched and did not find any news articles or U.S. government announcements about a $6,400 giveaway or updates to the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law in 2022.

The federal government warns that offers of free money or grants from the government are often scams. Government-funded financial assistance programs are only offered through official government websites.

The Federal Trade Commission’s website offers tips on how to avoid these scams and where to report them.

PolitiFact found no evidence the U.S. government updated the Inflation Reduction Act "to give Americans making less than $50,000 per year up to $6,400 in subsidies every single month." We rate this claim False.