Elon Musk has sparked controversy by alleging massive fraud within the Social Security system. Posting on X, he shared data suggesting millions of active Social Security numbers belong to people over 130 years old, a claim that defies logic. Musk argued that the system’s poor auditing allows for fraudulent benefits, calling it “the biggest fraud in history.”
His findings went viral, prompting calls for an audit while critics questioned his interpretation. As debate intensifies, Musk’s claims have renewed concerns over government inefficiencies and the integrity of Social Security data.Elon Musk has alleged that millions of 150-year-olds are fraudulently receiving Social Security payments. His claim is based on Social Security Administration database inconsistencies, where outdated COBOL-based systems list extreme ages due to placeholder values. 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 (Doge) has uncovered massive fraud within the US Social Security Administration (SSA).
Musk alleges that millions of payments are being made to individuals over 150 years old, calling it “the biggest fraud in history.” However, experts and existing government audits suggest that the reality is far more nuanced.
Musk first made these claims during an Oval Office press conference, stating a “cursory examination of Social Security” revealed “crazy things.”
“We’ve got people in there that are 150 years old,” Musk said on February 11. “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.”
While the remarks gained traction on social media — especially on Musk’s platform X — they have been widely challenged by experts.
The role of COBOL & the SSA’s outdated systems
Computer programmers have pointed out that Musk’s claim may be rooted in a misunderstanding of how Social Security’s antiquated coding system, COBOL, functions. This decades-old language lacks a built-in date type, leading to an unusual default reference date of May 20, 1875, reports WIRED.
As a result, any missing or incomplete birthdate in SSA records may be assigned this reference point, making individuals appear to be over 150 years old.