No, SSI and SSDI recipients aren’t getting $2,000 debit cards

Social Security is a government program that provides monthly benefit payments to retired Americans, people who can’t work due to disability and others with very limited incomes. 

Recent articles claim that people who receive Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will receive $2,000 debit cards. VERIFY reader Paula emailed us to ask if that’s true. 

THE QUESTION

Are SSI and SSDI recipients getting $2,000 debit cards?

THE SOURCES

• Social Security Administration (SSA)
• AARP
• Search of Congressional legislation
• VERIFY analysis of articles making claims about $2,000 debit cards

THE ANSWER

No, SSI and SSDI recipients aren’t getting $2,000 debit cards. 

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WHAT WE FOUND

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients aren’t getting $2,000 debit cards. The false claims stem from unreliable websites. 

A spokesperson for the Social Security Administration (SSA) confirmed to VERIFY that the agency is not issuing $2,000 debit cards to people who receive SSI and SSDI benefits. Congress would also have to pass a bill in order for SSI and SSDI recipients to receive extra benefits, which has not happened. 

SSA told VERIFY it would notify people directly about any new Social Security programs and announce them on its website.

This isn’t the first time online articles have falsely claimed that people who receive Social Security benefits are getting extra money. VERIFY previously debunked claims about federal stimulus checks for Social Security recipients and $600 monthly payment increases. 

These false articles typically are created by content farms that “regurgitate dubious information and often rely on AI-generated articles with little or no human oversight,” McKenzie Sadeghi, AI and foreign influence editor for NewsGuard, previously told AARP.

The scam articles claim to inform readers about “exclusive” or “new” benefits that don’t actually exist with the goal of drawing as many people as possible to their websites, which have numerous advertisements.

“By bringing viewers and readers to their sites, they are hoping that people will, in turn, click on these advertisements and they will gain financial revenue,” Sadeghi said.

To avoid falling for the information in these fake articles, Sadeghi recommends scanning them for any information that doesn’t add up, and the unnecessary repetition of key phrases. 

If it’s not clear where the article is getting its information from, that’s also a red flag, Sadeghi adds. 

Two websites that spread the false information about $2,000 debit cards don’t cite their sources, like AARP warned about in its article. One of those websites also repeats the phrase “SSI and SSDI debit cards” nearly a dozen times.

The Social Security Administration says people should reference its scam and fraud resources to understand how to spot common Social Security scams.