Overview

• DOGE, linked to Elon Musk, announced survey findings of unemployment fraud involving impossible age data, such as claims by individuals over 115 years old or not yet born.
• The alleged fraud totals $382 million, a fraction of the $45 billion to $135 billion in COVID-era fraud previously identified by federal investigations.
• Experts and former officials criticize DOGE’s methodology, claiming it misinterprets or duplicates known data without conducting proper audits.
• Federal agencies, including the Department of Labor, had already flagged similar anomalies, often due to protective measures for identity-theft victims, years before DOGE's findings.
• Reactions to DOGE’s claims remain polarized, with some officials expressing alarm while critics view the announcement as a distraction from systemic unemployment program issues.