A. M. Entrepreneur Elon Musk has raised a serious accusation about the Social Security system in the United States, claiming that there is a multimillion-dollar fraud in which deceased people continue to collect benefits. According to Social Security data, there are records of payments to people over the age of 120, which is statistically improbable.
An analysis of the database reveals that at least 6 million people between the ages of 90 and 99 continue to receive payments, as do more than 4 million people over the age of 100. Surprisingly, the records even show individuals as old as 369 still listed as active beneficiaries.
This has led to speculation about possible administrative errors or, worse, an organized fraud scheme.
Assuming a monthly payment of US$1,750 per beneficiary, the amount defrauded could exceed US$260 billion annually. This figure is equivalent to a significant portion of the federal budget, which calls into question the efficiency and control of the system.
The Social Security Administration has not yet issued an official response to the complaint, but the case has aroused the interest of Congress and other watchdogs.
Experts in financial fraud warn that, although administrative errors may explain part of the problem, the volume of cases suggests the existence of networks that take advantage of deceased people’s identities to continue collecting payments.
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