Did you get a State Farm dividend message? How to tell the real payout from the scam

State Farm really is sending a $5 billion dividend to policyholders — and scammers are copying it with fake texts and emails. The biggest tell: State Farm does not use text messages for dividend payouts. Here is the safe way to check.

A text lands on your phone saying insurance money is waiting for you — all you have to do is tap a link and pick Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal to claim it. Short answer: The dividend is real, but that text is not how you get it. State Farm, a mutual insurer owned by its policyholders, really is sending a $5 billion dividend to policyholders — and scammers are copying the news with fake emails and texts that lure people to malware links or try to charge a fee to “claim” the money.

The simplest tell is the channel: State Farm does not use text messages for dividend payouts, so a text about it is not legitimate, no matter how official it looks. The safe route is always one you start yourself — type the official portal address, SFDividend.com, directly into your browser, or reach the company through a number or address you already trust. And a real dividend never asks you to pay a fee to receive it.1.

Stop and do not tap. Leave the message alone — do not click its links or reply, even out of curiosity.2. Check the channel.

If it arrived by text, treat it as a scam on that fact alone; give emails the same suspicion until you verify them.3. Go direct, by typing. Open your browser and type SFDividend.com in yourself.

Never arrive through a link somebody sent you.4. Verify through known channels. Check your policy account, or call your agent using contact details you already have — never anything printed in the suspicious message.5.

Delete and report the fake. Remove the message and report it as junk or spam, which helps your carrier block the sender for everyone.Pro tip: The common mistake is judging a message by how it looks. Logos, names, and even sender details can be copied perfectly — judge it by how it asks you to act.Ad’s take: Scammers love real good news because it makes their fake version believable.

If money is truly coming to you, it will still be there after you take the slow, safe road to check.