I. Background
On February 17, 2025, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed a shocking phenomenon on social media: the number of valid Social Security Numbers (SSNs) in the U.S. Social Security system significantly exceeds the actual U.S. population. According to Musk’s data, there are over 394 million “living individuals” receiving social security benefits in the system, while the officially recorded total U.S. population is only 334 million. This means that the number of valid SSNs is 60 million more than the actual population, a revelation that has sparked widespread attention and discussion.
II. Possible Reasons
- Suspected Systemic Fraud Musk suggested that this discrepancy might be evidence of massive fraud within the U.S. Social Security system. He sarcastically commented, “Perhaps the vampires from ‘Twilight’ are living it up on social security funds?” Although this statement was made in jest, it highlights the severity of the issue. Many people questioned whether these excess SSNs are being used illegally for financial gain, potentially even influencing U.S. elections.
- Technical Flaws However, the tech community proposed another explanation: the U.S. Social Security system still uses the COBOL programming language from the 1930s, which has a date encoding flaw. If the birthdate field is left blank, the system defaults to 1875. This results in many “ghost accounts” showing ages of 150 or even older. Such technical glitches might have led to a large number of invalid or erroneous SSN records in the system.
- Legitimate SSN Holders In addition to U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents (green card holders) and individuals with valid work visas can also apply for SSNs. According to official data, as of 2022, there were approximately 13 million green card holders in the U.S., with 500,000 to 1 million new immigrants obtaining work visas each year. However, even when accounting for these legitimate holders, the gap between the numbers and Musk’s findings remains significant, failing to explain the excess 60 million SSNs.
III. Impacts
- Financial Burden If there is indeed widespread fraud, the U.S. Social Security system may be paying benefits to a large number of non-existent or deceased “individuals,” which would place a significant financial burden on the U.S. treasury.
- Trust Crisis This revelation has led to public doubts about the integrity and reliability of the U.S. Social Security system. Many people are calling for a comprehensive audit of the system to uncover the truth and restore public trust.
- Social Implications The issue has also sparked broader social discussions, involving immigration policies, the rationality of the welfare system, and the need for reform in the Social Security system.
IV. Conclusion
The phenomenon revealed by Musk has ignited widespread discussions about whether there is fraud in the U.S. Social Security system. Although technical flaws may be part of the reason, such a large discrepancy cannot be fully explained by technical issues alone. Regardless of the ultimate truth, this incident highlights the problems in data management and oversight within the U.S. Social Security system. It also serves as a reminder for countries around the world to prioritize data integrity and security in digital management.