GOING to a public hospital is stressful enough without having to worry about whether the person asking you for money actually works there.
But that is exactly the situation one family found themselves in at Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru, and their account has gone viral on social media.
Did a scammer really impersonate hospital staff to collect cash payments from patients?
Verdict:
TRUE
A person posing as a hospital staff member was found to have approached a patient's family at Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) in Johor Baru and requested a cash payment for a ward deposit without issuing an official receipt, according to the hospital's management.
The incident came to light after a woman posted on Threads claiming that her mother had been asked to pay RM30 in cash to an individual when registering her father's admission to a ward, without receiving any receipt for the transaction.
HSA said in a Threads post that initial investigations confirmed the individual was not a hospital employee, and that the person had been handed over to police for further investigation.
The hospital said it viewed the matter seriously and advised the public to remain vigilant, stressing that all payments must be made only at official Revenue Counters where valid receipts are issued for every transaction.
"This is to prevent them from falling victim to scams by irresponsible parties attempting to take advantage," the post read.
Patients and their families visiting public hospitals are reminded that legitimate hospital staff will never request cash payments outside of official counters, and that any such request should be treated with suspicion and reported to hospital management immediately.
Source: Bernama
