In the internet age, fraud has become a global problem, spreading to every area of life, and the healthcare industry is no exception.
Last month, the BBC media reported a new scam outbreak targeting British dental National Health Services (NHS) patients. Using social media, fraudsters are spreading dozens of publications on social media, attracting people seeking NHS appointments.
Scammers have various Facebook groups and genuine-looking websites equipped with fake Care Quality Commission certificates. In some cases, they used the identities of real dentists, stealing their photos and personal details.
Fraudsters are seeking a potentially vulnerable group of people who require urgent NHS dental services, offering them affordable offers from the new clinic that claims to "make a dream come true." After they found a victim, they forced people to register on the fake website to schedule the visit, during which scammers stole personal information, including passport data. Then, a website offered to give a credit card or bank account detail to pay for the appointment upfront.
Of course, this appointment, the dentist, and the dental facility itself do not exist – scammers just seized people's private data and money (in reported cases, between 100 and 200 pounds sterling).
Experts opinion
BBC reported various professionals' advice on how not to get scammed. First, if a website offers to pay in advance for appointment scheduling, it is definitely a scam because this is a pretty unusual practice among NHS facilities. Then, Eddie Crouch, a chairman of the British Dental Association, recommends using the NHS website Find a Dentist to check current facility data. Still, he notes that sometimes information may be outdated, complicating the clinic search, which makes people look for more presentable options that may push them into "scammers' hands."
On the other hand, the growing number of scam cases clearly shows the problem with the affordability and availability of dental services in the UK. According to Crouch, about 13 million people are currently looking for an NHS appointment, making them highly vulnerable to that kind of scam.
Be careful!
That wave of fraud in Britain was probably just the beginning of a new age of "clever" scams that professionally mimic actual healthcare facilities, stealing people's money and personal data. To avoid unfortunate consequences, you should check the information of any facility that you find in the promotion. Before registration, use Google to find information about the clinic and compare the addresses and phone numbers of those you saw in the advertisement. Then, make a phone call to check whether the facility exists, asking them about doctors, appointment details, or other stuff to get you to know whether the clinic you find in internet promotion is real.
