Warning about scams in online medical consultations and treatment.

Currently, many clinics are posting attractive advertisements on social media platforms like Zalo and Facebook. However, when patients arrive for examination, some facilities prescribe more tests than advertised, causing the actual cost to increase tenfold compared to the initial advertisement.

Disruption in the online healthcare market.

With just a click on any search result, people can be instantly connected to a "doctor" or consultant. Further investigation reveals that there are still reputable online medical services with real doctors from major hospitals, but amidst this "sea of ​​information," people can easily fall into a situation where the good and the bad are mixed together.

The pricing for online consultations varies widely, from 50,000 VND per 5 minutes to 500,000 VND per session, depending on the specialty and consultation duration. For example, a consultation with a gastroenterologist via website costs 300,000 VND for 30 minutes. Platforms used for consultations include Zalo, Viber, Skype, Messenger, etc., and all require upfront payment.

Simply by posting a status update on some health-related groups requesting a check-up for chronic headaches, within minutes someone contacted you, introducing themselves as staff from a neurology center, along with a promotional offer: a 50% discount on examination fees and a 20% discount on medication. After leaving your phone number, this person called back, advertising that they had doctors and professors from Bach Mai Hospital, Military Hospital 108, and Military Hospital 103, and that you would receive advice depending on your condition.

In many cases, people are even informed by "doctors" that they have serious illnesses such as severe inflammation, cysts, or a risk of infertility, in order to scare and force them to undergo immediate treatment at a cost ranging from several million to tens of millions of dong.

According to a user's report, when searching for the phrase "Book an appointment at Bach Mai Hospital" online using their phone, they saw a related advertisement and clicked on a website with the address: https://timkiemtrogiup.com/. There, after filling in the information in the search box, the system displayed several hotlines along with instructions on how to call for assistance.

When calling the hotline and explaining their need to schedule an appointment for their child, customers are instructed to add a staff member on Zalo. This person then sends a confirmation message along with a QR code and requests a transfer of 600,000 VND to complete the appointment.

However, the next morning, when taking her child to Bach Mai Hospital as scheduled, the customer was shocked to be informed that her name was not in the system. Checking her Zalo messages again, she found that all previous messages had been deleted and she could no longer contact the person who had claimed to be a support staff member. At this point, the customer realized she had been scammed.

Notably, in addition to the 600,000 VND booking fee, customers also had to pay call charges of up to 8,000 VND/minute, resulting in a total amount of nearly 1 million VND being defrauded.

Ms. Tran Thu Ha, a representative of the Bach Mai Hospital's consultation hotline, stated that the hospital has recently received numerous complaints from patients who booked appointments and paid but found no information available upon arrival. The reason is that scammers are running advertisements, exploiting people's desire for quick and convenient appointments to steal money. Notably, these fake websites constantly change their hotline numbers to avoid detection.

Associate Professor Dr. Dao Hong Hanh, Head of the Department of On-Demand Medical Examination and Treatment at Bach Mai Hospital, stated that online appointment scheduling is becoming increasingly popular, attracting hundreds to thousands of patients daily. Therefore, fraudsters have been impersonating the hospital's domain name and hotline number to profit. Dr. Hanh affirmed that Bach Mai Hospital only has one official hotline number: 1900888866.

Clear regulations are needed to avoid risks.

Fake videos and images of doctors and medical staff are used to increase credibility. People are easily convinced by testimonials from "living witnesses" who have been cured. Once they receive the money, the perpetrators immediately cut off contact.

Therefore, people should carefully check the information of doctors and medical facilities, and only use official, verified online medical platforms. If they suspect they have been scammed, they should immediately report it to the authorities or consumer protection organizations for assistance.

In response to the booming trend of online medical consultations, the Ministry of Health issued Circular 30/2025/TT-BYT, stipulating that 50 diseases across nearly 20 specialties are permitted for remote consultation and treatment, such as musculoskeletal disorders (neck and shoulder pain, arthritis, osteoarthritis), cancer (post-treatment, palliative care), infectious diseases (influenza, Covid-19), dermatology (skin diseases caused by viruses, fungi, parasites, etc.), and ear, nose, and throat (rhinitis, pharyngitis, gingivitis, etc.).

Online medical consultations and treatment are a modern trend that saves time and money; however, people need to be vigilant and cautious when choosing services.

The circular also requires telemedicine practitioners to register with the health management agency, be responsible for diagnostic results and prescriptions through the National Prescription System, and ensure the confidentiality of patient information.

Dr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, from the Vietnam-Russia Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center, believes that online medical consultations and treatment are a modern trend that saves time and costs. However, people need to be vigilant and cautious when choosing services. They should only use licensed platforms with clearly identified doctors and always verify information through official channels to avoid losing money and suffering harm.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/canh-bao-lua-dao-trong-kham-chua-benh-online-d355266.html