Fact Check: Trump’s Claims About $2,000 ‘Tariff Dividend’ Payments

Cybersecurity Experts Warn Against Fake Trump “Tariff Dividend” Email Scam

A deceptive email campaign claiming Americans can collect a “$2,000 tariff payout” from President Donald Trump is circulating nationwide, prompting concerns from cybersecurity experts and consumer protection agencies.

The email, sent by an entity calling itself “Major Gross Profit,” urges recipients to “act now” to secure what it describes as Trump’s “$2,000 tariff dividend.” The message suggests this is just the first in a series of payments, claiming “the first checks are just the beginning.”

Experts confirm no such government program exists at this time. While Trump did pledge in November to share tariff revenues with Americans in the form of dividends, his administration has yet to implement such a program or provide specific details about eligibility, distribution methods, or timing.

“This appears to be a classic phishing attempt designed to collect personal information or potentially install malware,” said Steven Weisman, a law professor at Bentley University who specializes in cybersecurity threats. Weisman noted that Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador recently issued a consumer alert about similar schemes, warning that “any message claiming you must respond to receive a payment is a scam.”

When cybersecurity researcher Vassil Roussev, director of the University of New Orleans Cyber Center, investigated the links contained in the email, he discovered they redirected to a website selling gold investments. The page falsely claimed to be part of “President Trump’s economic revival plan.”

PolitiFact attempted to contact Major Gross Profit but received no response. The company’s email identifies Finance and Investing Traffic, LLC, registered in Delaware, as its parent company. According to the Better Business Bureau, this entity is not accredited and has accumulated more than two dozen complaints regarding its marketing tactics, particularly spam emails.

Trump’s tariff policy and dividend promise remain in developmental stages. Since taking office, the president has imposed significant import taxes on various foreign products, generating approximately $189 billion more in tariff revenue in 2025 than in 2024, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model. The Tax Foundation projects these tariffs could raise $2.2 trillion over the next decade if maintained.

In social media posts on November 9, Trump stated he would use tariff revenue to issue “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high income people!)” – a promise he has repeated in subsequent statements. However, the administration has not outlined specific income eligibility requirements or distribution mechanisms.

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing the legality of Trump’s tariff actions, which he implemented through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, bypassing Congress. An unfavorable ruling could force the government to return portions of collected tariff revenue, potentially diminishing funds available for any future dividend program.

When contacted about the dividend’s status, the White House declined to provide immediate details. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has suggested the $2,000 could “come in lots of forms,” including tax reductions or other policy-related savings. Meanwhile, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, indicated congressional approval might be necessary to distribute funds – though Trump recently expressed disagreement with this assessment.

Tax policy experts note that if legitimate government payments were eventually issued, they would almost certainly not require citizens to interact with third-party companies. “Funds distributed digitally are distributed as direct deposits to taxpayer accounts at financial institutions, not processed by a third party,” explained Alex Muresianu, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation.

During previous direct payment programs, such as COVID-19 stimulus checks under Trump’s first administration, the IRS sent funds directly to citizens’ bank accounts using information from tax returns, with special provisions for those who hadn’t filed taxes.

Consumers encountering suspicious emails promising government payments should exercise extreme caution, avoid clicking links, and report potential scams to the Federal Trade Commission or their state attorney general’s office.