In the times we live in, due to the immediacy of the digital world and the democratization of access through different devices and platforms, there is often information that is disseminated with the sole purpose of confusing the population, and if it is about topics of popular interest, it becomes a really worrying issue.

Fortunately, thanks to the same virtues of the Internet that allow these messages to spread, they can also be stopped and labeled as hoaxes or outright misinformation, as has just happened with a post on the Facebook network.

Debunking The Fake New

It claimed “approval of a $1,000 unconditional stimulus payment for all U.S. residents” before Donald Trump again took office as president of the country.

The post, published on December 3, included a video claiming that “all U.S. residents are eligible to receive a substantial payment from the government,” so the message used a very effective hook to keep people interested, who shared it up to 200 times in a two-week period, at least within the platform.

The individual’s speech in the video went on to say: “In a shocking and unprecedented move, it rushed to approve an unconditional $1,000 stimulus before the next term in an effort to jump-start the economy immediately”.

He then asked users to interact with a link to a page not affiliated with the US government and answer questions from a survey to “claim the money.”

The Information In That Post Is False

All of the content in the video titled “This new refund scheme won’t last. Claiming it now before it disappears forever” is absolutely false as Congress has not approved any stimulus payments since March 2021 (for ‘direct aid payments’ for the COVID-19 pandemic) and this is not supported by government entities such as the Treasury Department or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Current Status Of Stimulus Payments

As of December 2024, Congress has not approved any new stimulus payments akin to those issued during the pandemic. The recent claims regarding a $1,000 payment are based on misleading videos and social media narratives that misrepresent political speeches and promises.

For instance, a viral video featured former President Donald Trump discussing deregulation but did not mention any new stimulus checks.

PolitiFact has specifically debunked these claims, emphasizing that no current bills authorizing such payments have been passed by Congress.

Furthermore, legitimate government websites have not announced any new stimulus programs or payment plans. The last significant direct aid payments were made in early 2021, and since then, no further federal stimulus checks have been issued.