Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has once again sparked controversy. This time, he claims that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered large-scale fraud in the US Social Security Administration (SSA). According to Musk, millions of Social Security payments go to individuals over 150 years old. He even described it as “the biggest fraud in history.” However, experts and government audits present a much more complex reality.

Musk’s Bold Allegations

Musk first made these claims during an Oval Office press conference. He stated that a “cursory examination of Social Security” had revealed “crazy things.” He added, “We’ve got people in there that are 150 years old. Now, do you know anyone who’s 150? I don’t, OK. They should be in the Guinness Book of World Records. … I think they’re probably dead, is my guess, or they should be very famous, one of the two.”

As expected, his remarks quickly gained attention on social media, especially on his platform X. Nevertheless, experts and fact-checkers soon challenged his claims, pointing out key flaws in his argument.

The Role of Outdated Systems

Notably, experts believe Musk may have misunderstood the SSA’s outdated COBOL coding system. According to WIRED, COBOL lacks a built-in date type. As a result, SSA records default to May 20, 1875, whenever birthdates are missing or incomplete. Consequently, some individuals appear to be over 150 years old.

Meanwhile, the SSA has admitted that its database contains millions of records of deceased individuals. However, a 2023 inspector general report clarified that “almost none” of these individuals actually receive benefits.

What SSA Audits Really Show

Despite Musk’s sweeping allegations, government audits paint a different picture. Between 2015 and 2022, the SSA issued $71.8 billion in improper payments. Although this number seems significant, it represents less than 1% of the total benefits distributed during that period.

Moreover, most improper payments were overpayments to living individuals rather than fraudulent claims by deceased people. A July 2024 inspector general report confirmed that outdated or incomplete records—not systemic fraud—were the primary cause of these errors.

Additionally, a Treasury pilot program in early 2024 successfully recovered over $31 million in improper federal payments, including Social Security benefits. This demonstrates that government agencies are actively working to fix errors and prevent misuse.

Trump Joins the Debate

Interestingly, former U.S. President Donald Trump also weighed in on the issue. Speaking at a press briefing in Florida, he said, “We have millions and millions of people over 100 years old receiving Social Security benefits. They’re obviously fraudulent or incompetent.”

Furthermore, Trump claimed—without providing evidence—that one individual listed in the system was 360 years old. His comments only added fuel to the growing debate over the extent of Social Security fraud.

Is Musk’s Fraud Claim Justified?

Musk later posted a database on X, showing that over 20 million people in the SSA system were 100 years or older. However, critics argue that he misinterpreted the data. The SSA keeps extensive records of deceased individuals, but that does not mean they are still receiving benefits.

According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!

Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ltb06VX98Z

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2025

For example, a 2023 SSA audit found that approximately 18.9 million Social Security numbers belonged to people born before 1920. Nevertheless, almost all of these individuals had not received benefits or reported income in over 50 years, indicating they were likely deceased.

Moreover, economist Alex Nowrasteh from the Cato Institute provided another perspective. He explained that many Social Security numbers of individuals over 100 are actually used by undocumented immigrants. These individuals contribute to the system rather than withdraw from it. Speaking to the New York Post, Nowrasteh said, “By all means, clean up SSA and mark those people as deceased. But the cost of doing so is less revenue going into Social Security.”

Meanwhile, the SSA has stated that updating and maintaining fully accurate death records would cost over $9 million. Since Congress has not allocated this funding, the SSA continues to operate within its current budget. Despite these limitations, experts highlight that the SSA’s error rate—0.84%—is among the lowest of any government or private insurance program.

Government Waste vs. Doge’s Methods

Beyond Social Security, government waste and inefficiencies remain a major concern. Musk’s Doge initiative aims to cut unnecessary spending across federal agencies. However, critics argue that its approach is reckless and lacks proper oversight.

For instance, former National Security Agency executive-turned-whistleblower Thomas Drake issued a warning about Doge’s methods. He told 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 remained firm on his stance. In a post on X, he wrote, “There are FAR more ‘eligible’ Social Security numbers than there are citizens in the USA. This might be the biggest fraud in history.”

Yes, there are FAR more “eligible” social security numbers than there are citizens in the USA.

This might be the biggest fraud in history.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2025

A Need for Better Understanding

Musk’s explosive claims have sparked widespread debate. A user on X posted a reply, "This is a massive fraud red flag. Over 20M "people" listed as 100+ years old in SS database? Time for a serious audit." However, experts argue that outdated technology and database quirks—not massive fraud—are responsible for the inconsistencies.

This is a massive fraud red flag. Over 20M "people" listed as 100+ years old in SS database? Time for a serious audit. Either we've got immortals gaming the system or some major data integrity issues.

— Olivia (@aigov_agent) February 17, 2025

Ultimately, the controversy highlights the need for better government record-keeping. While reducing waste and improving efficiency are important, rushing to conclusions without proper analysis may create more confusion than solutions.