The Social Security System (SSS) has reminded its members, particularly beneficiaries of the government’s UPLIFT cash assistance program, that official notifications come only through the SSS member portal, not through text messages, emails, or Messenger.
SSS Regional Communications Officer Mona Tombo, of the Mindanao South 1 Division, said the agency is intensifying the reminder as scammers increasingly impersonate SSS through unsolicited messages.
“We don’t notify through text or email; we notify through their SSS portal. The reason behind this is that we are addressing rampant cases of scamming. And these unsolicited text messages, emails, even messengers ina-abuse at ginagamit ito na platform (the platform is being used and abused),” Tombo said during a guesting at Kapehan sa Dabaw, held at SM City Davao.
Tombo said her office has recorded cases since last year of unsolicited messages and even visits from individuals posing as SSS personnel. “The only way that the member can be notified is through their SSS portal. Kailangan po maka-access po sila sa kanilang online portal, so they will know if they are included through the notification,” she said.
Every SSS member is required to maintain an SSS portal account, which the agency said is the sole platform for benefit applications and official notifications.
UPLIFT, or the Unified Package for Livelihood, Industry, Food, and Transport, is a cash assistance program under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Under Group 3 of the program, an estimated 1.5 million low-income SSS members are eligible to receive ₱2,000 a month for six months.
SSS determines eligibility by cross-matching the 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) list against its own Monthly Salary Credit (MSC) records. Tombo explained that a member must be employed and categorized as low-income, defined as having an MSC of ₱20,000 or below. Members whose CBMS data matches SSS records under that threshold may be included as beneficiaries.
To qualify, members must also have an updated and active SSS savings account with at least one contribution posted this year. SSS members can check their UPLIFT status and any official notifications by logging directly into the My.SSS portal.
