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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Economy & business fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about economy & business. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

7,091 published reviews in this topic

dpaEconomy & business

Vom Getreideabkommen haben nicht hungernde Nationen sondern vor allem der Westen profiziert.

Publisher’s rating: Diese Behauptung ist falsch. Das meiste Getreide wurde in Entwicklungsländer geliefert.

The claim concerned Ukrainian grain shipped under the Black Sea export agreement: a social-media post said that most of the grain went to the West, not to hungry nations. The review compared that assertion with shipment and destination data published on the United Nations’ website for the agreement. It reports that the controls required under the agreement made information on participating ships, cargoes and destinations available.

El Detector / Univision NoticiasEconomy & business

Amazon está sorteando scooters eléctricos a dos euros porque sus cajas resultaron dañadas en un accidente en un almacén.

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerned a Facebook post promoting Xiaomi electric scooters to people in Spain for two euros, supposedly because their packaging had been damaged in an Amazon warehouse accident. The post directed users to a website to fill out a form. The review found that the offer was not an Amazon giveaway: Amazon Spain told the publication that the post was a scam and said the company does not ask users to pay or transfer money through outside websites. The review also examined what the linked website disclosed in its fine print. It said that providing bank details and submitting the form committed users to a monthly subscription costing 45 euros in Spain or 39.80 dollars in the United States. The site described a separate, twice-yearly draw for a 1,000-euro gift card; it did not offer the promised scooter for two euros. Thus, the advertised low-cost scooter offer concealed a recurring payment obligation rather than the stated prize draw. The publication described contacting Amazon Spain’s communications department by email and sending it the Facebook post’s link. Amazon confirmed that the promotion was a scam and pointed to its guidance that payments should be made only through Amazon’s website or mobile application. The review also noted Amazon’s explanation that wholesale liquidations and donations are not open to the public, further contradicting the idea of a public warehouse-clearance giveaway.

dpaEconomy & business

Aldi verschenkt Makita-Sets.

Publisher’s rating: Das Inserat ist nicht echt, das Logo von Aldi wird missbräuchlich verwendet. Ähnliche Aufrufe tauchen immer wieder in sozialen Medien auf und dienen dazu, persönliche Daten zu erlangen.

The review examined Facebook advertisements claiming Aldi was giving away Makita sets. It reports that the promotion was not from Aldi, despite using the discounter’s logo. The offer therefore did not establish that Aldi was actually giving away the tools; the review identifies the advertisement as an impersonation. To check the offer, the review followed the ad’s image to the page it promoted. Although that page also displayed an Aldi logo, its URL was “yrviewsauctions.com,” which the review says had no connection to the discounter. The review also checked the page against Aldi Süd’s stated criteria for genuine prize draws: the organizer should be identifiable, with terms and an imprint, and the page should not simply request sensitive personal information. The purported Aldi page had no terms or imprint and asked for contact details. The review further notes that Makita warns about fraudulent offers and that consumer-protection and police advice is not to submit personal information to dubious offers. Its findings support treating this specific giveaway advertisement as fake and a means of collecting data, rather than as a genuine Aldi promotion.

El Detector / Univision NoticiasEconomy & business

Hay un nuevo programa de alivio financiero “aprobado recientemente” que puede “eliminar más de $80,000 de tus deudas de tarjetas de crédito”.

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The review examined a Facebook post claiming that a recently approved financial-relief program could “restart and eliminate” more than $80,000 in credit-card debt. It reports that the post linked to an advertisement for a debt-purchase service, not to an official government program. The review also found that the advertisement described private companies helping people reduce debt by seeking creditors willing to accept a settlement; that is not the promised government-backed cancellation of card debt. To check the claimed program, the newsroom says it searched Google in Spanish and English using terms about an $80,000 credit-card relief program and found no information about such a benefit. It also reviewed government benefit listings: the federal benefits page listed assistance for bills such as electricity and gas, telephone, and internet, while the benefits information it checked did not list financial assistance for paying credit-card debt. The article says the Federal Trade Commission warns that offers falsely promising to eliminate or reduce card debt can be scams, and notes the agency’s advice to avoid paying upfront. The post’s video did not substantiate the offer. The review identified its footage as an edited clip from a Telemundo newscast about the U.S. debt ceiling, originally published on YouTube on January 18, 2023. The viral version added claims about resolving Americans’ credit-card debt and eligibility thresholds, then combined the clip with unrelated celebratory and money imagery. The review’s evidence therefore points to an advertisement for private debt negotiation and a manipulated news clip, rather than a recently approved program that erases card balances.