Social Security is a government initiative offering monthly benefits to retired individuals, those unable to work due to disability, and others with extremely low incomes.
Recent reports suggest that individuals receiving Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits may be given $2,000 debit cards. VERIFY reader Paula reached out to inquire about the accuracy of this claim.
Are SSI and SSDI recipients getting $2,000 debit cards?
No, SSI and SSDI recipients aren’t getting $2,000 debit cards.
Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are not receiving $2,000 debit cards. These claims are circulating from unreliable sources.
A Social Security Administration (SSA) spokesperson confirmed to VERIFY that the agency is not distributing $2,000 debit cards to SSI and SSDI recipients. For such benefits to be provided, Congress would need to pass a new bill, which has not occurred.
The SSA assured VERIFY that it would directly inform individuals about any new Social Security programs and would make such announcements on its website.
This isn’t the first instance of false claims about extra money for Social Security recipients circulating online. VERIFY has previously debunked similar claims about federal stimulus checks for Social Security beneficiaries and $600 monthly payment increases.
Such misleading articles often originate from content farms that “regurgitate dubious information and frequently rely on AI-generated content with minimal human oversight,” according to McKenzie Sadeghi, AI and foreign influence editor for NewsGuard, as reported by AARP.
These scam articles falsely promote “exclusive” or “new” benefits to attract readers to their websites, which are filled with advertisements. The goal is to drive traffic so that viewers click on ads, generating financial revenue for the site owners, as Sadeghi explained.
Scam articles often claim to offer “exclusive” or “new” benefits that don’t actually exist, aiming to attract as many visitors as possible to their ad-heavy websites.
“By drawing viewers and readers to their sites, they hope people will click on these advertisements, generating financial revenue,” Sadeghi explained.
To avoid falling for such misinformation, Sadeghi suggests checking for inconsistencies or excessive repetition of key phrases in articles. A lack of clear sources is also a warning sign.
Two websites spreading false information about $2,000 debit cards fail to cite their sources, as highlighted by AARP. One of these sites repeatedly uses the phrase “SSI and SSDI debit cards” nearly a dozen times.
The Social Security Administration advises consulting its scam and fraud resources to learn how to recognize common Social Security scams.
THE SOURCES
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- AARP
- Search of Congressional legislation
- VERIFY analysis of articles making claims about $2,000 debit cards
