“There is no way to overstate how serious a breach this is. And my understanding is that it has already occurred,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, a progressive advocacy organization that warned late Monday that “Elon Musk is stealing your personal Social Security data.”

“SSA has comprehensive medical records of people who have applied for disability benefits. It has our bank information, our earnings records, the names and ages of our children, and much more,” said Altman. “Older people are disproportionately susceptible to scams. The data at SSA leaking would make the number of scams skyrocket. And, if there is an intent to punish perceived enemies, someone could erase your earnings record, making it impossible to collect the Social Security and Medicare benefits you have earned.”