CLAIM: The Philippine Statistics Authority did house-to-house visits to scan photos for our National ID.
RATING: FALSE
THE FACTS: The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Santo Domingo town and Philippine ID System Facebook pages warned the public of a scam in which some individuals go door-to-door posing as Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) employees in order to scan national IDs in exchange for 60 pesos.
There was no official announcement from PSA about a house-to-house “scanning” of the national ID.
To avoid confusion, there was a house-to-house option to register for the national ID in 2021, along with the online portal option. However, PSA fully implemented walk-in registration in 2023 for more convenient registration. Even if there was a house-to-house registration in 2021, house-to-house scanning of IDs was not part of the official process.
The national ID was signed into law under the Philippine Identification System Act to “…establish a single national identification system for all citizens and resident aliens of the Republic of the Philippines.”
There are three easy steps to register for one: 1.) Go to the nearest Philippine Identification System (Philsys) center and bring the necessary documents; 2.) Have the documents you brought validated and your biometrics and information recorded; and 3.) Wait for the delivery of the ID to your address. Be sure to present a valid ID to the courier for verification. To ensure the authenticity of the ID delivered, it may be verified at verify.philsys.gov.ph.
WHY WE FACT-CHECKED THIS: Scammers may use the information they get to engage in unlawful activities like identity theft. Caution and vigilance are advised.
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