DSWD launches anti-fraud app

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) revealed on Sunday that its newly launched digital platform, Basta Beripikado Mabilis (BBM) ang Serbisyo App, has already registered and verified over 180,000 program beneficiaries.

The BBM Serbisyo platform is an online tool designed to accelerate the verification and identification process of beneficiaries using the DSWD’s Know-Your-Customer (KYC) system.

It is part of the agency’s digitalization strategy, aligning with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to modernize governance.

Jimmy Francis Schuck, director of the DSWD’s Social Registry Office (SRO), explained the platform’s core purpose is to protect DSWD programs like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) from fraud.

“The BBM Serbisyo is an online platform that all DSWD clients and beneficiaries can use to check if they have a national ID released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),” Schuck said.

“It is important for the DSWD to ensure that every client, every beneficiary receiving assistance is a legitimate individual, meaning they are not fake, bogus or fictitious,” he added.

Beneficiaries with a national ID, either printed or digital, can register on the platform. Schuck noted that by registering the national ID, the system helps prevent “ghost recipients” and duplicate benefits while speeding up the verification and approval of DSWD assistance.

“When we know that our clients and beneficiaries truly have a national ID, we have assurance that those we are giving aid to are not bogus or fake people,” Schuck said. “Secondly, we ensure there is no duplication of individuals in our list. If you have already received a certain service, this prevents repetition.”

The app also allows beneficiaries to authenticate both printed and digital IDs and provides access to a digital copy of the national ID for those who have misplaced the physical card.

With the DSWD serving an estimated 50 million to 60 million beneficiaries, Schuck acknowledged the challenge of limited internet access in remote areas. He said the agency is working on strategies to provide internet connectivity and bring geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) closer to the digital world.