Possible Scam/Fraud

comedy_dave

Not sure if this goes here but here goes.

a few days ago my Mum took a call from her Doctors surgery, telling her the "results of the biopsy on the sore of your leg are back and the Doctor would like to speak to you"
My Mum explained that she had no sore, and hadn't had a biopsy. The receptionist confirmed my Mums personal details and they added up. So they just wrote that off to an admin error.
Now this morning, a different medical centre in my Mum's town called to confirm an appointment for Me, and because I wasn't registered I would have to go in and register first. I have not made this appointment, and don't even live in that town. The receptionist at the second surgery confirmed that the appointment was made by a Mrs xxx.

This all seems like too much of a coincidence. So why is someone pretending to be my mother, and booking Doctors appointments?

maninthestreet

Do you have a common surname at all?

comedy_dave

maninthestreet wrote: »

Do you have a common surname at all?

Not overly common, as far as I know I would be the only David xxx in that area

rsykes2000

comedy_dave wrote: »

Not overly common, as far as I know I would be the only David xxx in that area

Not normally a good idea to give away your entire name and town on an Internet forum.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Try a facebook search on your name - you may find another Dave xxx in the area.

Laz123

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Try a facebook search on your name - you may find another Dave xxx in the area.

What, with the same phone number?

It rather sounds like one of your or your mum's associates is having a laugh.

Voyager2002

comedy_dave wrote: »

Not sure if this goes here but here goes.

a few days ago my Mum took a call from her Doctors surgery, telling her the "results of the biopsy on the sore of your leg are back and the Doctor would like to speak to you"
My Mum explained that she had no sore, and hadn't had a biopsy. The receptionist confirmed my Mums personal details and they added up. So they just wrote that off to an admin error.

The most worrying part of this story: someone has had a biopsy and the results suggest that further treatment is needed (in other words, someone has cancer) and the doctor has not been able to communicate with that person. People can die from this kind of error.

Are you sure that the call really did come from the doctor's surgery? If not, perhaps it was a peculiarly unpleasant joke.

Payless_2

This couldn't be an illegal immigrant who has "borrowed" your identities to get NHS treatment could it?

Jeff77

Voyager2002 wrote: »

The most worrying part of this story: someone has had a biopsy and the results suggest that further treatment is needed (in other words, someone has cancer) and the doctor has not been able to communicate with that person. People can die from this kind of error.

Are you sure that the call really did come from the doctor's surgery? If not, perhaps it was a peculiarly unpleasant joke.

I surely agree with Voyager2002. If the call really came from the doctor's surgery and is really reporting a true to life medical condition, then somebody's life is endangered. If this is an error, imagine that the person is still waiting for the results of the biopsy which I fear if he would still get because of the mistake. I just hope it was rectified. And if this is a joke, somebody has got to pay in the end.

shaven-monkey

The receptionist confirmed my Mums personal details and they added up. So they just wrote that off to an admin error.

Did the receptionist provide the info or did your mum?
Could be a method of getting personal details to add to the phone number.
May not be a joke, may be an attempt at ID fraud.

Be_Happy

I don't know what the problem is here. Surely it is simple enough to contact the Doctor's Surgery and other Medical Centre and check that the calls were genuine.

If they're not then, if you were asked for no personal information, they seem to be a nasty hoax. If personal information was given to the caller, then there's a scam involved and you need to be vigilant.