Tag Archives: fraud

MiBolsilloColombia: Only 0.3% of SSA frauds were considered incorrect, what about DOGE?

Posted on by
Reply

A recent initiative by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to detect fraud, partly driven by the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, has sparked significant controversy. 

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) recent anti-fraud initiative, influenced by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has stirred a storm of debate. The DOGE, once under the leadership of Elon Musk, made audacious claims about rampant fraud within the SSA. However, the SSA’s new detection system revealed a starkly different reality, identifying only a minuscule amount of potential fraud while inadvertently delaying the processing of numerous claims.

The primary justification for the SSA’s anti-fraud policy stemmed from statements by DOGE members. Aram Moghaddassi, a DOGE engineer, claimed on Fox News that 40% of calls to the SSA for direct deposit changes were from scammers. This assertion was echoed by Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance. Musk even suggested that his engineers had uncovered “$100 billion a week” in fraudulent payments, a figure that raised eyebrows across the board.

But:

Of over 110,000 claims reviewed, less than 1% were flagged for potential fraud, and only two were deemed to have a “high probability” of being fraudulent.

Only 0.3% of SSA frauds were considered incorrect, what about DOGE?
A recent initiative by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to detect fraud, partly driven by the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, has sparked significant controversy.

https://www.mibolsillo.co/news/Only-0.3-of-SSA-frauds-were-considered-incorrect-what-about-DOGE-20250526-0031.html

MSNBC: There’s a reason Republicans want to hide what’s in their newly passed megabill

Posted on by
Reply

If that sounds like hyperbole, it’s not.

Early Wednesday, when most Americans were snuggled in their beds, Republicans in the House of Representatives were working hard to take away the health care of millions of Americans, blow a $3 trillion hole in the budget deficit and make the wealthiest people in America richer and the poorest Americans poorer.

If this sounds like hyperbole, it’s not. The GOP-controlled House Rules Committee convened at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning to discuss a bill that hasn’t been fully drafted and the provisions of which were still part of intense negotiations. Indeed, the real work on the legislation was happening behind closed doors as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tried to cobble together enough votes to pass something, anything, so he could meet his self-imposed deadline for a floor vote by Memorial Day. Late Wednesday, GOP leaders released yet more significant changes to the bill, and on Thursday morning the full House passed the bill by a single vote.

What we do know about the legislation the GOP is calling the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is genuinely terrifying.

According to an analysis published Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office, the numbers in the GOP’s draft legislation are brutal. The bill would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion — a rise that is spooking bond markets already worried about the president’s tariff increases. The bill would slash $267 billion in federal spending for SNAP, which more than 42 million low-income people rely on to put food on the table for their families. And it would cut nearly $700 billion from federal funding for Medicaid.

The CBO estimated Tuesday that the Medicaid cuts could cause roughly 8 million people to lose their health insurance coverage, and that number could rise to 15 million thanks to other provisions in the legislation. The amendments revealed Wednesday, writes Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, surely “would lead to more people losing health insurance.” But Republicans scrambled to vote Thursday before the CBO could update its totals.

All this is being done to extend the Trump tax cuts, which disproportionately benefit wealthy people. The impact of the GOP’s bill is extraordinary in both its cruelty and its extreme inequality. According to the CBO’s estimate, household resources for the poorest people would decrease by 4% over the next eight years, while the richest people’s household resources would increase by 4%.

Opinion | There’s a reason Republicans want to hide what’s in their megabill
If that sounds like hyperbole, it’s not.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/republican-house-bill-medicaid-snap-cuts-tax-cut-trump-rcna208380

MiBolsillo Colombia: SSA’s DOGE phone policy led to delays with minimal fraud caught

Posted on by
Reply

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established by Elon Musk’s team, entered the Social Security Administration (SSA) with a mission to cut costs and eliminate perceived widespread fraud. DOGE believed that much of this fraudulent activity occurred over the phone. Despite not being a Cabinet-level agency, DOGE’s influence led to the implementation of a controversial phone policy aimed at fraud detection.

At DOGE’s request, a security verification process was developed to detect allegedly fraudulent claims made by phone. This involved a three-day hold on all phone claims while personnel verified the caller’s background. The system mirrored internet claim verification, where claims remain in a database for days before processing. Despite internal skepticism about its necessity, the policy was implemented due to fears of job loss if DOGE’s demands were not met.

The three-day security verification was abandoned due to its ineffectiveness in identifying fraud. It only flagged a couple of potential fraud cases out of 110,000 calls reviewed.

SSA’s DOGE phone policy led to delays with minimal fraud caught
SSA’s fraud-prevention phone policy, backed by DOGE and Elon Musk’s team, caused major delays and few results, drawing widespread criticism

https://www.mibolsillo.co/news/SSAs-DOGE-phone-policy-led-to-delays-with-minimal-fraud-caught-20250518-0030.html

Associated Press: Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship

Posted on by
Reply

Are we now ruled by dictatorial edict? Only Congress can pass laws; the President gets to sign them only after both houses of Congress have passed them. Der Führer seems to think he can skip a few steps.

Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive action to overhaul elections in the United States.

Trump signs order seeking to overhaul US elections, including requiring proof of citizenship | AP News

Howard Lutnick, Fool: Grannies won’t complain if they don’t receive their Social Security checks

Posted on by
Reply

Presumptuous moron!

Howard Lutnick, Fool
Howard Lutnick, Fool

The fastest way to start a revolution and throw Krasnov out of office is to start withholding the Social Security checks of 70 million Americans.

As the staff cuts at the Social Security Administration leave monthly benefit payments to tens of millions of Americans up in the air — alarming former SSA leaders on both sides of the aisle — Howard Lutnick, the Secretary of Commerce, doesn’t think you should be complaining if your check doesn’t show up.

“Let’s say Social Security didn’t send out their checks this month — my mother-in-law, who’s 94, she wouldn’t call and complain. She just wouldn’t,” Lutnick told All-In Podcast hosts David Friedberg and Chamath Palihapitiya on Thursday. “She’d think something got messed up, and she’ll get it next month.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says his mother-in-law wouldn’t complain if her Social Security check didn’t arrive this month

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says his mother-in-law wouldn’t complain if her Social Security check didn’t arrive this month