Universal Basic Income Scam

Genuine universal basic income and guaranteed income pilot programs have been trialed in various forms by some cities, regions, and nonprofits, typically through a formal, limited application or lottery process with a defined applicant pool. Scammers exploit public awareness of these real, if limited, pilot programs by claiming, often through social media ads or unsolicited messages, that the recipient has already been selected for a much larger, often nationwide, guaranteed income program that does not actually exist.

The message asks for an enrollment or 'account setup' fee, or requests bank details to begin the supposed monthly deposits. Because genuine pilot programs are geographically and numerically limited and rarely advertised through unsolicited mass messaging, any claim of automatic selection for a broad guaranteed income program reaching a wide audience through social media or cold text should be treated as highly suspect and checked directly against the official website of any program named.