Cagayan de Oro City (12 October) -- The Social Security System (SSS) said that it has prevented fraudulent claims worth millions of pesos after using a biometrics system of identification for its members.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Corazon de la Paz said the new identification system isolated members who own more than one set of numbers, avoiding possible multiple claims for pension.

She said SSS has cancelled the pensions of 17 members and saved P6.5 million and 6,000 more are currently under investigation, which could bring in as much as P1.1 billion in savings.

"The biometrics ID card system is valuable to our operations," De la Paz said. "It facilitates transactions and prevents fraud."

"The card speeds up queuing at the counters and makes it easy for members to make payments and gain access to their records in self-service terminals," she added.

De la Paz cited a Commission on Audit (COA) report that said the project "has fully achieved the objective of preventing fraud and abuse."

SSS has issued more than nine million cards to its active members and retirees as of September this year and the number is expected to grow in the next few years because the card is now required in all transactions with the institution.

Among those who will benefit from the SSS card are self-employed and voluntary members, who can use it to pay their contributions in self-service payment terminals, de la Paz said.

"When self-employed and voluntary members make payments at our tellers, their cards are swiped in and there is automatic recording of their Social Security (SS) Number and name, eliminating errors for faster posting of their payments," she further said.