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“Unknown” is the right result when an ad cannot be verified—not evidence that it is real or fake. A checker can help triage a claim, but it cannot establish that you qualify for assistance. Before sharing personal information or paying anyone, identify the named program and confirm its current rules and application process through the relevant government agency.
What “Alive,” “Dead,” and “Unknown” should mean
A useful checker separates what it can verify from what it cannot. Its labels are about the evidence for an offer, not a decision about your personal eligibility.
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- Alive: Current evidence from a trustworthy, relevant source supports the existence of the named offer. That does not mean you qualify, that the ad is an official application route, or that the offer applies where you live.
- Dead: Authoritative evidence contradicts the claim. A responsible result should say what evidence conflicts with it and when that evidence was checked.
- Unknown: The checker cannot establish the sponsor, jurisdiction, current status, or other essential details. It should not fill those gaps with a guess.
These labels are only useful if the checker shows the claim it evaluated and the evidence behind its result. The available official guidance explains how to assess grant claims, but does not independently establish how any particular checker works or verify a particular ad.
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The phrase alone does not identify a government program. USAGov says the federal government does not offer free money or grants to people for personal needs; for help with expenses, it directs people to the Benefit Finder and advises checking each program’s rules. The Federal Trade Commission likewise says, “Government grants are not awarded for personal needs.” Federal Trade Commission guidance dated March 5, 2026.
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That does not mean all public assistance is nonexistent. Benefit programs have their own eligibility criteria and application processes. Federal grants are generally funding opportunities for organizations with specific purposes, not personal cash for bills, debt, repairs, or other household expenses. Grants.gov is a resource for federal grant opportunities, not a general personal-cash application portal. Grants.gov’s grant-scam guidance.
So a claim such as “everyone can claim a new 2026 stimulus check” needs evidence for that specific payment: the responsible agency, who is eligible, where to apply, and dates. If those details cannot be confirmed through an official source, the honest answer is Unknown—not a promise that money is waiting for you.
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Warning signs that an offer may be a scam
The FTC’s March 5, 2026 alert identifies several red flags. Treat an offer with one or more of these features cautiously, especially when it arrives unexpectedly:
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- The offer claims a grant will pay personal expenses such as bills or debt.
- The sender asks for your Social Security number or bank details to “check” eligibility or deposit money.
- You are told to pay a processing fee to receive the funds. Be particularly wary of demands for cash, gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
- A tax refund or credit message pressures or threatens you, requests personal or financial information, or sends you to a strange or misspelled website. The IRS advises navigating to IRS.gov yourself rather than trusting a link in an unexpected message. IRS tax-scam guidance.
Grants.gov says, “The government does not charge a fee for individuals or entities applying for a federal grant.” That guidance concerns federal grant applications; it is not a blanket statement about every benefit, loan, state program, or private assistance program.
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How to verify an offer safely
- Write down the exact claim. Note the advertised program name, the agency or sponsor, the location it supposedly covers, the dates, eligibility rules, and application route. A headline amount or official-looking logo is not enough to identify a real program.
- Find the agency independently. Do not use an unsolicited message’s link as your starting point. Navigate to the relevant agency’s official website yourself and look for the named program and its current instructions.
- Check whether the details match. Compare the sponsor, jurisdiction, current dates, eligibility criteria, and application process with the official source. If any key detail is missing or conflicts, do not treat the ad as verified.
- Use the right official route for your need. For help with food, housing, health care, or other expenses, start with USAGov’s Benefit Finder, then review each program’s own rules. For federal grant opportunities for an organization, use Grants.gov.
- Stop if the offer asks for sensitive details or an advance fee. Do not share your Social Security number or bank information with an unsolicited contact to check grant eligibility, and do not pay to release a promised federal grant.
If you received a government check or payment message
A message about a payment and a physical Treasury check are different claims. If you already received a government check, USAGov advises identifying the authorizing agency and using the Treasury Check Verification System to check whether it is legitimate and government-issued. Follow the steps on USAGov’s government checks and payments page.
If the message concerns a tax refund, credit, or tax-related payment, go directly to IRS.gov and consult its tax-scam guidance. Do not enter information on a site just because an unexpected message links to it.
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If you sent money
Contact the company or service you used to send it as soon as possible and ask whether the transaction can be stopped or reversed. Report suspected fraud to the FTC and at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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Contact the relevant financial institution promptly if you shared bank details, and tell it what information you provided. If the message pretended to be about a tax matter, use the IRS’s official tax-scam guidance reached directly from IRS.gov. Do not continue communicating with the sender to “fix” the problem or pay another fee.
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