People say they’re receiving texts from scam operators trying to exploit President Trump’s $5,000 dividend pledge.
On Wednesday at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Mr. Trump promised to pay it to every adult American if Republicans win the House and Senate in November.
Then came the scams.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Democrat, posted on Facebook Thursday, “I’m already getting scam texts claiming Trump ’authorized’ my $5,000 check.”
The congressman said, “The text is fake — but it’s exploiting Trump’s own transparent attempt to buy votes: promising Americans $5,000 if Republicans win Congress. No funding plan. A $1T+ price tag. Taxpayer-funded checks tied to an election outcome.”
The Washington Times reviewed a text from a bad actor that went to a recipient’s cellphone on Thursday, stating, “President Trump just authorized a $5,000 check for (name) — but you need to confirm your official approval in the next 10 Min.”
The scam includes a scam URL for the recipient to click.
The Times reached out to the White House for comment.
The text scam appears similar to other cons that have fooled people in recent years.
New data from the Federal Trade Commission reveal that people reported losing a staggering $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, with reported losses nearly tripling since 2020.
According to the FTC, people reported imposter scams more than any other fraud category in 2025; nearly 1 in 3 fraud reports were about imposter cons.
These scams lured consumers through text, phone, email, social media and search engine results.
Some of the priciest impersonation scams begin with a fraudulent security alert, usually from a bank. People are urged to move money to “protect” it, with their losses often limited only by their available funds.
People reported losing nearly $1 billion to business impersonators last year, with the highest reported losses to bank fakes — and almost $920 million to government actors, up from $866 million in 2024.
The FTC has seen a remarkable jump in reported fraud losses across all types. About $16 billion was reported lost in 2025, the highest on record and up about 25% from 2024.
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