• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Judge orders Elon Musk to immediately destroy any financial data he obtained from millions of Americans

Home> News

Published 13:25 12 Feb 2025 GMT

Judge orders Elon Musk to immediately destroy any financial data he obtained from millions of Americans

Elon Musk has now been blocked from accessing the Treasury's payment system

Rikki Loftus

Rikki Loftus

Featured Image Credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Elon Musk
Twitter
News
Donald Trump
Social Media

Advert

Advert

Advert

A judge has ordered Elon Musk to immediately destroy any financial data he has obtained from millions of Americans.

The world’s richest man has controversially taken center stage in the Trump administration following his appointment as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

While it technically isn’t a governmental body, the department has been described by Trump as an outside advisor on government spending.

Elon Musk has now been blocked from accessing Treasury data (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Elon Musk has now been blocked from accessing Treasury data (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Advert

Since Trump re-entered the Oval Office last month, fears have grown over Musk’s involvement.

Last week, the Tesla boss gained access to the Treasury’s payment system and protests broke out in Washington DC when elected officials were blocked from entering the Department of Education building.

The public have raised concerns over the possibility that Musk can access confidential information including social security numbers and Medicare benefits payments.

And it certainly seems like he’s been sifting through a lot of information, after he made claims that widespread fraud is happening in the payment of ‘federal entitlements’, which includes things like social security.

Advert

Taking to his own social media platform X, formerly Twitter, Musk said: “At this point, I am 100% certain that the magnitude of the fraud in federal entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Welfare, Disability, etc) exceeds the combined sum of every private scam you’ve ever heard by FAR. It’s not even close.”


In a previous tweet, Musk claimed that $100 billion a year was being paid to people with no social security number or ‘even a temporary ID number’.

Advert

The SpaceX CEO went on to say: “When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”

However, Musk’s investigation into the matter is on hold for now, after New York judge Paul A. Engelmayer placed an injunction to block him from accessing the personal financial data of millions of Americans.

The preliminary injunction came into effect on Saturday (February 8), and will last until the next court hearing on Friday (February 14).

As part of the ruling, Musk and his team have been ordered to immediately destroy any copies of records that they have.

Advert

Elon Musk has warned about 'widespread fraud' in Treasury payments (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Elon Musk has warned about 'widespread fraud' in Treasury payments (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

This comes after the Trump administration was sued by 19 state attorneys general, who claim that giving DOGE access to the records violates federal law.

Musk doesn’t seem best pleased by the injunction, which he has taken to X to describe it as ‘absolutely insane’.

He wrote: “How on Earth are we supposed to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money without looking at how money is spent?”

Advert

In the judge’s order, it said that states would ‘face irreparable’ harm if immediate relief wasn’t implemented.

The order continued: “That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking.”

Choose your content:

13 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto via Getty Images
    13 mins ago

    One of the biggest media companies puts itself up for sale following streaming price hikes

    It's looking to 'maximise' shareholder value

    News
  • Replacement AI
    an hour ago

    'Genuinely jaw-dropping' billboard in San Francisco leads you to website exposing 'tech bros'

    The satirical website warns about the dangers of AI advancement

    News
  • Cheng Xin / Contributor via Getty
    2 hours ago

    First impressions of ChatGPT's new browser leave users deeply 'uncomfortable'

    Some aren't on board with the new innovation

    News
  • Instagram/@naturalspoonfuls
    3 hours ago

    Husband of influencer Stacey Hatfield recalls heartbreaking final moments before she died following childbirth

    The food influencer died last month following complications in childbirth

    News
  • Elon Musk slammed after using 'homophobic slur' at US politician Sean Duffy
  • Elon Musk leaves security experts terrified after DOGE's plan for Americans' sensitive data is revealed
  • Elon Musk has brutal two-word response after major outage breaks world's biggest apps
  • Elon Musk has one-word response to Donald Trump confirming he will 'not destroy' the billionaire's companies