(NewsNation) — Unreliable websites claiming Social Security recipients will receive a $600 payment increase or get a new stimulus check this month are spreading misinformation, according to the agency.
“Reports of a $600 payment increase are FALSE, please be aware and don’t fall for this stunt,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in a news release.
The agency didn’t specify how the rumor started, but NewsNation reviewed multiple fake news articles making the claim. One described the bogus payment as the “long-awaited $600 increase.”
The false rumor gained so much traction that the Social Security Administration’s phone lines were slammed with more than 463,000 calls in a single day, O’Malley said.
NewsNation identified other online articles falsely claiming Social Security recipients are set to receive new stimulus checks. That’s also untrue, a spokesperson for the Social Security Administration confirmed via email.