Elon Musk uncovers ‘biggest fraud in (US) history’: Is there any truth to it?

Elon Musk has alleged that millions of 150-year-olds are fraudulently receiving Social Security payments. The SSA’s inspector general previously identified $8 billion in improper payments in 2023, but experts argue that these errors do not equate to widespread fraud Billionaire entrepreneur and United States special government employee Elon Musk has once again turned heads with claims that his Department of Government Efficiency has uncovered massive fraud within the US Social Security Administration. During a press briefing in Florida, US President Donald Trump echoed Musk’s concerns, stating, “We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old receiving Social Security benefits. Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ltb06VX98Z — Elon Musk February 17, 2025 In response to Musk’s claims, economist Alex Nowrasteh of the Cato Institute explained that many Social Security numbers of individuals over 100 were being used by undocumented immigrants to contribute to, rather than withdraw from, the system. Former National Security Agency executive-turned-whistleblower Thomas Drake warned of the risks associated with Doge’s approach, telling WIRED, “Doge going into all these agencies with largely unfettered access with a wrecking ball and no understanding of the business logic and structure behind the code, database, and configured business logic, related payment systems, and integrated decision trees, poses real risks to the privacy and persona-level data of millions of people across all of those records.” Despite these warnings, Musk has continued to double down on his claims, stating on X that “there are FAR more ‘eligible’ Social Security numbers than there are citizens in the USA.