Fact check: Claims of free one-year Amtrak passes for women 40 and older are scams
The claim: Amtrak is giving free one-year passes to women 40 and older
An April 11 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims a transportation giant is offering a promotion that would mean major savings for millions of Americans.
“Amtrak is giving away One-Year Free Train Passes to US women above 40 + y/o Fill in 4 questions & get your pass,” reads the post.
It was shared more than 150 times in two days. Another version was shared more than 600 times before it was deleted.
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Our rating: False
A spokesperson for Amtrak said the company is not offering any such promotion. The posts are scams that redirect users to a website where they answer a series of questions before submitting personal information. Neither the Facebook pages, nor the websites they link to, are affiliated with Amtrak.
No free passes, but Amtrak offers discounts for some
Kimberly Woods, a spokesperson for Amtrak, told Paste BN the company "is not giving away free one-year fare passes to people ages 40 and above."
The page touting the promotion does not have a blue verified check mark, which Facebook uses to identify legitimate brand accounts and can be seen on Amtrak’s official Facebook page. The scam page was also created on the same day it made the post, another indication the offer is illegitimate.
More: Amtrak unveils new coaches that will eventually serve most East Coast routes and others
The promotion link takes users to a website not affiliated with Amtrak and prompts them to answer a series of questions. They are asked to select one of multiple gift boxes for a chance to win the prize and are then asked for personal information, including a phone number and email address, in order to claim it.
Though the Facebook posts claim the giveaway is for a free one-year pass, the fine print at the bottom of the website says the price to enter is $34.86.
Amtrak does offer discounts for certain people, including seniors over the age of 65, children between the ages of 2 and 12, and members of the military, according to its website. An infant under 2 years old can ride for free with the purchase of an adult ticket.
Paste BN reached out to users who shared the claim for comment.
Our fact-check sources:
- Kimberly Woods, April 12, Email exchange with Paste BN
- Amtrak, accessed April 12, Everyday Discounts
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