Recently filed federal court documents accuse staffers of the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) of transferring Social Security Administration (SSA) data to an unauthorized private server.
The Department of Justice confirmed the breach involves the transfer of millions of sensitive records to a private Cloudflare account, bypassing the strict security protocols required for federal databases.
DOGE employees allegedly sent 1,000 Americans’ personal records to one of Elon Musk’s top aides and shared confidential data on a private server. Some workers even reportedly attempted to hand over records to an advocacy group seeking to overturn election results.
While initial reports framed the incident as a negligent byproduct of cost-cutting measures, the new court filings suggest a deliberate effort to weaponize the data.
According to the filings, DOGE personnel discussed sharing the data with a third-party political group. The alleged goal was to cross-reference Social Security numbers with voter rolls to challenge the validity of recent elections, a violation that transforms a data privacy issue into a potential criminal conspiracy.
Scammers could now have more ammunition
The data breach means that scammers could now know your Social Security number, bank routing information and other personal details to create convincing phishing attempts. They might mail you a letter that looks exactly like official SSA correspondence, designed specifically to steal your benefits.
These types of scams already happen regularly. But now the risk could be significantly higher if personal data has fallen into the wrong hands.
Protect yourself now
Barbara O’Neill, a certified financial planner and former Rutgers University professor who now teaches older adults about financial planning, recommended several protective steps to ThinkAdvisor:
- Regularly review your Social Security statements and keep copies on hand in case you need to verify information later
- Add two-factor authentication to every account that contains sensitive data
- Read every piece of written correspondence from Social Security carefully
Staying aware is another way to stay safe. The SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) says to be skeptical of calls, emails, letters, text messages and even social media messages:
“Scammers frequently change their approach with new tactics and messages to trick people. We encourage you to stay up to date on the latest news and advisories by following SSA OIG on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook or subscribing to receive email alerts.”
The SSA staffing crisis
Recent data shows that over 6,600 staffers left the SSA between January 2025 and November 2025, according to the Center for American Progress. This figure doesn’t account for the thousands more who were reassigned from jobs like staffing field offices and data processing to answer the SSA’s 1-800 number instead.
Social Security advocates warn that as a result of fewer staff members, issues of overpayments, underpayments and benefit delays could become increasingly common. Some beneficiaries may find their claims stuck in limbo for months. Others might receive unexpected bills because SSA couldn’t process their changes quickly enough.
The takeaway is to stay vigilant. Monitor your Social Security account regularly, question any correspondence that seems off and don’t provide personal information to anyone who contacts you claiming to be from SSA.