DSWD debunks TikTok post: P5,000 Christmas ‘payout’ is fake news

This photo shows a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) advisory released Monday, December 11, 2023, debunking a TikTok post claiming it will be giving away P5,000 to netizens who register in a link contained in the video. Photo from DSWD

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has denied a TikTok post claiming a P5,000 Christmas “payout.”

In a statement, the DSWD urged the public to ignore the TikTok post and never click the accompanying link to register and receive the supposed cash grant.

“The Department would like to inform [the public] that there is no truth in this circulating video,” DSWD said in an advisory posted on its Facebook account on Monday. The advisory was written in Filipino.

“DSWD does not give away any Christmas gifts just by registering on a link,” it added.

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Documents like identification cards are required to claim assistance or payouts from the DSWD, it stressed.

The DSWD said the public should only refer to announcements posted on its official sites and social media pages and encouraged everyone to stay vigilant and always verify unfamiliar online content.

READ: DSWD to pause giving guarantee letters from December 7 to 31