Be careful! Scammers can be very good at convincing you that they are who they say they are.
A man from Perak, S. Thiruchelvam has been receiving calls from fraudsters claiming to be medical practitioners attempting to hijack his fundraising efforts to help a cancer-stricken lawyer.
Photo via Kim Komando
According to The Star, the “medical practitioner” said that they have been treating the 28-year-old lawyer, and demanded that he transferred a deposit to ensure uninterrupted healthcare for the patient.
He said that the calls started pouring in after he decided to share the story of G. Buvaneswary, who is diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, online. She is now being treated at a private hospital in Ayer Keroh.
On Wednesday (Dec 2), Thiruchelvam lodged a police report and also informed the hospital management as he has the details of the callers who claimed to be the doctors from the private hospital.
He decided to help Buvaneswary because she needed additional funds from her treatment. In the message, he included his own mobile number and details of Buvaneswary’s father.
He told The Star: “I got the permission from Buvaneswary’s father to circulate the message to seek funds from my contacts,” adding that the post was then shared with other people.
Photo via Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Thiruchelvam said he has received calls not only from Malaysia, but Singapore and Canada as well, all wanting to help Buvaneswary, “I only posted the message to my group on Monday (November 30th), and my phone was flooded with calls and messages from those who wanted to help.”
S. Gunusegran, Buvaneswary’s father said that his daughter is confident of surviving breast cancer and he wanted her to get the best treatment possible, “At first I thought I could afford the cost of the treatment, but her condition has now reached a critical stage and the hospitalisation bill had ballooned. I know my daughter would recuperate as she is a resilient person.”
Meanwhile, the private hospital, when contacted confirmed Buvaneswary is under the care of a consultant oncologist there and the names given by the scammers to Thiruchevam were not part of the hospital’s medical team.
These scammers are getting increasingly creative and sophisticated in their attempts to get your money or personal information.
Remember to always be wary and protect yourself from being scammed!
The most common type of scam in Malaysia is the Macau scam, and here’s how you can identify it:
Types of Macau ScamsThe number of scam victims seem to be rising particularly fast in Malaysia, where new reports surface every month. So, we thought that it’s a must to bring awareness about the many types of Macau scams out there. Stay safe!
Posted by SYOK.my on Thursday, October 22, 2020
Stay safe!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
