Don’t fall for social media posts promising thousands in new stimulus money
A promotion dangling up to nearly $4,000 to American homeowners is spreading online, but it’s not real, so please don’t get your hopes up.
“New GSE stimulus program is giving homeowners up to $3,708 every year,” says the headline of a blog post on the website ouramericanliving.com.
“Homeowners can start using this $3,708 however they want, thanks to a new stimulus package brought to us by the current administration,” the post goes on to say. “You can substantially reduce your home mortgage payments, improve your home, or use it for any other expense.”
To tap into this cash, the post tells people to complete a “mortgage stimulus survey.”
Clicking on the link directs you to a website called enhancedrefinow.com and a series of questions about your home. In the end, there’s no money waiting. Just several requests for your personal information — name, address, phone number, and more — until you land on a page of advertisements to refinance your home loan.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
If you search for evidence to corroborate the stimulus claim online, you’ll find none. But there are some fact-checks debunking it.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire.
Our Sources
Blog post, Oct. 15, 2021
WCNC, VERIFY: Scammers are using a new trick on social media to steal your info, Oct. 6, 2021
Lead Stories, Fact Check: Special ‘American Homeowner Relief’ program does NOT give $3,708 back to homeowners, May 17, 2021
