The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Central Visayas has warned the public to be cautious of transactions involving fake Philippine Identification System or National ID cards. This comes after various complaints received by the office regarding counterfeit National IDs.
PSA Reminds: Only Authorized to Issue National IDs
The PSA emphasized that their office is the only entity authorized to issue the National ID. Individuals or groups caught printing or issuing National IDs may face imprisonment of three to six years and fines ranging from PHP 1 million to PHP 3 million under Republic Act No. 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act.
Penalties for Violators
Similar penalties await those who print, tamper with, or commit fraud using the ID. The public is also advised to be alert to text messages or calls pretending to be from the PSA, aiming to obtain sensitive personal information for scams.
“Reports indicate that these individuals commonly claim that personal information needs to be verified and instruct registered persons to click suspicious links, download applications, disable security settings, or perform fingerprint verification as part of the supposed process,” the PSA said on Monday, May 25, 2026.
How to Verify Legitimate IDs
To ensure an ID is legitimate, it can be verified through the National ID Check at https://everify.gov.ph/check.
