The rampant federal fraud that DOGE is largely ignoring

International criminal groups are stealing as much as a trillion dollars a year from U.S. government programs but DOGE has done little to address the problem, accoring to a new report.

International criminal groups are stealing as much as a trillion dollars a year from U.S. government programs but the Department of Government Efficiency has done little to address the problem, according to a new report by a private anti-fraud firm.

“It’s the government’s dirty little secret — this has been an ongoing effort by nation states and other criminal organizations for years,” said Jordan Burris, vice president of Socure, an identities management firm, who is a former White House official. “We’ve been able to confirm that these coordinated attacks are pilfering government programs and doing so at a velocity that is relentless.”

Socure’s new report found that U.S. government programs are being attacked by international criminal groups in China, Russia, Egypt, Poland and several other nations — and that international fraudsters were responsible for up to 12% of all applications for government services and loans. The core problem is a failure to properly identify recipients.

“For far too long, fraud has been seen as the cost of doing business in government. But this is a fallacy,” says the new report, which NBC News obtained in advance of its publication. “As Washington prioritizes efficiency, one of the most significant opportunities to reduce government waste, fraud, and abuse remains under-addressed: strengthening our digital identity verification systems.”

A Trump administration official speaking on behalf of DOGE told NBC News that DOGE is trying to implement new technology and private sector solutions to stop improper payments. But he said those efforts, such as a plan to modernize computer code in the Social Security Administration, have been met with criticism.