DOGE impersonators demand sensitive information at S.F. City Hall, flee before deputies arrive, authorities say
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- Authorities believe three unidentified men posing as DOGE agents attempted to seize sensitive information from San Francisco City Hall before they were rebuffed and fled on Friday afternoon.
- The incident took place at noon as the suspects approached City Hall wearing DOGE shirts and MAGA hats, according to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities believe three unidentified men posing as federal officials attempted to seize sensitive information from San Francisco City Hall before they were rebuffed and fled on Friday afternoon.
At around noon, the suspects approached City Hall wearing Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, shirts and MAGA hats, according to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.
The men entered several offices, demanding that local employees turn over digital information tied to “alleged wasteful government spending and fraud,” the sheriff’s department said.
City Hall workers refused their request and called the sheriff’s department.
A federal judge has blocked Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records that contain sensitive personal data such as Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans.
While deputies responded within the minutes, the men fled the building.
“We do not believe they were DOGE representatives,” said Tara Moriarty, the sheriff’s Director of Communications. “As soon as the sheriffs were called, they walked out of the building. They knew that their jig was up.”
The sheriff’s department said it was reviewing surveillance footage as part of its investigation.
Actual DOGE employees, led by tech titan Elon Musk, have allegedly attempted to access private data, including bank account information and Social Security numbers, through Treasury Department records.
A federal judge ordered Elon Musk’s DOGE team to not access student financial aid data. The decision came after University of California students filed a lawsuit against the Education Department. The pause in access ends Monday.
A federal judge blocked Musk’s team from doing so last week and the judge extended the order on Friday.
Musk’s DOGE group was tasked by the Trump administration to eliminate wasteful government spending.
Musk was also temporarily blocked earlier this week from accessing student loan and financial aid information from the Department of Education.
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