Why Did Facebook Send Me Money?

Who doesn’t like a little bit of surprise money? We’re not talking about winning the lottery or anything, but more along the lines of finding money on the ground or in your pocket. Maybe you even opened up Venmo to find that you still had some cash in your app’s wallet that you can use for anything you like. It’s always nice to find a little extra pocket money (figurative or literal) to add to your funds. However, people have been noticing a little extra money from Facebook as of late.

In late August 2023, people began reporting that they’d been receiving money from Facebook after checking through their transaction history. It’s not a substantial amount, but it’s certainly been a surprise for many Facebook users and even people who are no longer active on the platform. This has led many people to ask “why did Facebook send me money?”

Here’s what you should know about the current state of Facebook and how you might be entitled to some money yourself.

Starting around Aug. 21, 2023, people began posting on social media claiming that they randomly received money from Facebook. Folks on the internet have been receiving anywhere between $14 and $17 from Mark Zuckerberg’s popular social media app. Many report that they don’t even use Facebook anymore but have still received money, while others that these payments are separate from the residuals that one may receive from Reels.

Some folks believe that these small payouts are directly connected to a massive settlement that Facebook is carrying out as part of the many lawsuits brought against the platform throughout the year. According to the multimillion-dollar settlement, users are entitled to minor compensation if they fill out a claim by Aug. 25, 2023. Anyone who files this claim online can receive part of the settlement money.

This surprise cash from Facebook comes shortly after the Meta company reached a $725 million settlement in multiple class action lawsuits. According to outlets like CBS News, these lawsuits were filed by users who claimed that Meta shared personal information with advertisers and data brokers without their knowledge. While the company denied any wrongdoing overall, they agreed to provide financial compensation to parties affected by this alleged breach of privacy.

Reportedly, any US citizen who used Facebook in the last 16 years is eligible to receive part of the settlement money. The amount of money you receive may vary, depending on how many people file a claim and how much will actually be left over from the settlement after legal fees.

Anyone who has already received money from this settlement without knowing why may have filled out a similar claim some time ago and simply forgot they did so.

Any who had an active Facebook account between May 24, 2007 and Dec. 22, 2022 is eligible for a piece of the settlement.