Online offers for up to $5,000 in stimulus loans aren’t authentic

Recent Facebook posts about a supposed new stimulus program enabling Americans with poor credit to take up to $5,000 is a false and recycled promise. 

"American people needed this stimulus again!," read one April 18 post. Emergency loans are finally available to U.S. Citizens up to $5,000 even with poor credit. The process is very simple and only takes 2 minutes to find out. It's absolutely a no-brainer to take advantage of this opportunity today!"

The post features pictures of lawmakers and President Joe Biden with the words, "April 2023 update," "Emergency loans program is finally open!" and "Approved!"

Another post, from March 19, says: "Feeling the pinch from rising living expenses and inflation? You're not alone! Discover how I secured a $5,000 stimulus loan swiftly, even with poor credit. Don't let financial strain hold you back — you and your family can access the funds you need today!" 

Below photos of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., it says: "American stimulus."

These posts were 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.)

Jenna Valle-Riestra, a spokesperson for the U.S. Treasury Department, told PolitiFact: "There are no new stimulus payments like that described in these social media posts. Any type of program like that would require legislation from Congress."

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A link in one of the posts further leads to a page that has a caveat at the bottom: "This is not a government program nor is it government aid, this is an advertorial for a loan service."

Although the posts show photos of Democratic leaders and other lawmakers, these images weren’t taken in connection with any such legislation. One of the pictures — showing lawmakers applauding — was taken in October 2015, before then-U.S. Speaker-elect Paul Ryan was sworn in. 

PolitiFact investigated similar claims circulating social media in December. Our conclusion hasn’t changed: There are no such government stimulus loans. PolitiFact has also fact-checked Facebook posts in Spanish alleging that $50,000 stimulus loans "are finally here." That’s not true, either.

 We rate these posts False.