There was a lot of misinformation and some surprising facts that circulated online in 2023. VERIFY published hundreds of stories and answered many audience questions to help people distinguish between true and false information this year.
To look back on 2023, VERIFY reviewed which stories you read the most on our website. Here’s a look at the top eight stories of the year:
In 2022, VERIFY explained how Social Security makes payments to family members in the event of a person’s death. We found that surviving divorced spouses can receive the same survivors’ benefits as a widow or widower if they meet certain requirements.
That story led several VERIFY readers, including Arlin, to ask if they could collect Social Security benefits based on their ex-spouse’s earnings while their ex is still alive.
In that case, we found if you are divorced from someone who is entitled to Social Security benefits, you may be eligible to receive a percentage of the benefits based on your ex-spouse’s earnings history, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). But you have to meet certain requirements.
Additionally, if you are entitled to benefits based on your own earnings history, that benefit amount must be less than what you would receive based on your ex-spouse’s work. Social Security will pay the higher of the two benefit amounts, but not both.
A viral Instagram post from late September claimed all of the pandas in U.S. zoos are being returned to China after decades of peaceful panda relations between the two countries. VERIFY reader Dallas reached out to us to ask if this was true.
We found that all of the giant pandas in America’s zoos are being returned to China by the end of 2024.
China currently lends out 65 giant pandas to 19 countries through “cooperative research programs” with a mission to better protect the vulnerable species. The pandas typically return to China when they reach old age, and any cubs born are sent to China around age 3 or 4.
On Nov. 8, the Smithsonian National Zoo’s three giant pandas — Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — returned to China after a decades-long exchange agreement between the U.S. and the Chinese government ended.
The San Diego Zoo returned its two giant pandas to China that were there on loan in 2019, and the last giant panda at the Memphis Zoo went back to China in April 2023. Since the departure of the National Zoo’s giant pandas in November, only four pandas will be left in the U.S. at Zoo Atlanta; their loan agreement is set to expire in late 2024.
About a week after the National Zoo’s pandas returned to China, Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that China will send new pandas to the U.S. in the future, calling them “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”
“We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation,” Xi said during a Nov. 15 speech with business leaders in San Francisco. He did not share additional details on when or where pandas might be provided but appeared to suggest the next pair of pandas are most likely to come to California.
In July 2019, a hacker gained unauthorized access to the personal information of 106 million Capital One credit card holders and applicants in the U.S. and Canada.
Numerous lawsuits were brought against Capital One on behalf of the affected customers. In 2022, a U.S. federal court approved a class action settlement related to the data breach.
Multiple VERIFY viewers reached out to our team asking if emails they received about an upcoming payment claiming to be from the Capital One class action settlement were real.
We found that Capital One class action settlement payment emails sent from EpiqPay were indeed legitimate, according to the settlement website. EpiqPay is a digital payment platform that sends class action settlement payments to claimants.
Eligible individuals had to submit a valid claim for lost time and/or out-of-pocket expenses on or before Sept. 30, 2022, to receive a payment email. The settlement administrator started issuing payments beginning on Sept. 28, 2023.
In frigid temperatures, it’s a common practice for many drivers to let their cars warm up for a while before they hit the road. Some vehicles even have a preset feature that lets drivers start their cars remotely. Many people believe that a car needs to warm up for its engine to perform better.
In 2022, a VERIFY reader asked if warming up your car before driving in cold weather could potentially hurt the engine. Our team received hundreds of messages from other readers in response, so this year, we sought out additional experts and sources to confirm.
Our sources agreed that warming up your car before driving in cold weather can have a negative impact on the long-term health of your engine. Most vehicles built after 1980 no longer need to warm up before driving in the cold, and experts say slowly driving off about 30 seconds to a minute after starting your car is a best practice.
An important safety note (and a little common sense): Of course, you shouldn’t drive a car when it’s covered in snow, or you can’t see out of an ice-covered windshield.
“This means that your cold-day-driving routine should look something like this: bundle up, start the car, scrape the ice off the windows and mirrors, get in the car and get going!” Firestone says.
Social Security payments increased by 8.7%, or about $140 per month for the average recipient, in early 2023 due to an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
But several VERIFY readers, including John, asked us about rumors that the federal government had plans to increase Social Security benefits by $2,400 per year.
We found a bill, known as the Social Security Expansion Act, that would have increased Social Security payments by $200 per month, which is $2,400 per year. It was introduced in both the House and Senate in June 2022 — but the legislation didn’t pass.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), previously known as food stamps, is a federal program that helps people with low incomes buy food. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided SNAP recipients with additional benefits.
In February, several viewers texted VERIFY to ask if SNAP recipients would continue to get “extra stamps” in March.
Although it’s a federal program, SNAP is run by the states. The 2020 Families First Coronavirus Response Act increased funding for SNAP so states could provide “extra allotments” to families receiving SNAP benefits. This increased the monthly allowance families could spend using their SNAP cards.
When Congress wrote its budget bill for 2023, it included a provision to end the extra allotments for all states in February of this year. So in states that had still been providing SNAP recipients with the increased allowance, those people did not receive extra benefits in March.
Sometimes, Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots grow to hundreds of millions of dollars or reach the billions. And when they do, the highs come with increased lottery buzz. That attention isn’t just from the people who hope to draw the winning numbers, scammers also see an opportunity to target more victims.
VERIFY found that scammers have a history of turning money-making opportunities for their victims into money-making opportunities for themselves. The Mega Millions and Powerball are no different — even for people who never come close to winning the big prize.
Although there are many ways scammers use the most popular lotteries to trick people, Mega Millions warns of one particular tactic to be wary of: a call, email, text or social media message that tells you that you’ve won a prize.
“Some of those scammers have falsely identified themselves as being affiliated with Mega Millions,” Mega Millions says. “No representative of Mega Millions would ever call, text, or e-mail anyone about winning a prize.”
Powerball echoes that warning.
“Lotteries will never contact you via email or telephone call to inform you that you’ve won a prize unless you specifically entered an official lottery promotion or contest,” Powerball says.
VERIFY viewer Nancy asked us if turning off the air conditioner when she’s not home during a hot summer day and then turning it back on when she gets back home would help her save money and give the A/C unit a break.
We found that turning your air conditioner off when you are not home during the day will not save you money on your power bill. Instead, our sources say you should leave your A/C on to avoid putting a strain on the unit during the summer.
“If you are leaving home just for the day, it is definitely more energy-efficient to keep it turned on,” Logan Kureczka, the lead communications consultant at Duke Energy, told VERIFY. “Just turn it up a few degrees higher than you would if you were home.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »
