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A Thai doctor supporting a questionable diabetes treatment, a Filipino practitioner touting an underwear that promises to enhance the crotch, or an American clinician spreading an anti-vaccine conspiracy: all victims of identity theft which, throughout the world, plague health professionals.
AFP’s digital investigative journalists have uncovered a series of cases, where fraudsters pose as doctors to promote fake treatments and products or to peddle propaganda. A trend that shows how healthcare professionals are easy targets for online scammers, and end up being harassed, seeing their reputation tarnished and, in some cases, incurring legal proceedings.
“My identity is stolen (almost) every month”told AFP Thiravat Hemachudha, a Thai neurologist. “These scammers want to make money, so they cite reputable or credible medical professionals to back up their claims”.
His name appeared associated with advertisements and Facebook posts touting a series of treatments, for diabetes or penis enlargement. The culprit or culprits have not been identified but it is “a significant threat to the health of consumers”, denounces Dr Thiravat. Because for Internet users, the growing wave of identity theft scams presents financial risks and often compromises access to reliable care.
“Miraculous Healing”
In the Philippines, Marissa David thought she had found the best cure for a benign lump, buying a cream that, according to a Facebook ad, was recommended by famous doctor Willie Ong. However, the cream in question, which cost 12.50 dollars, a small fortune for this Filipino mother, was not only ineffective but was also not at all recommended by Dr. Ong.
“I learned the lesson”acknowledges Ms. David to AFP. “I shouldn’t be trusted so easily, especially if these products aren’t recommended by a doctor I know personally.”
Another Filipino doctor, Winston Kilimanjaro Creones Tiwaquen, a popular social media influencer, was impersonated on Facebook pages promoting a magnetic underwear that would miraculously enlarge male genitals.
AFP, which has spotted similar scams in other countries such as Burma and Bulgaria, has a global team of digital investigative journalists who expose false information that has gone viral, in partnership with the fact program, among others. -checking of Meta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
In the Philippines, AFP has deciphered half a dozen Facebook posts using doctored videos of Dr Wong or impersonating Dr Tiwaquen, in a deluge of content touting fast treatments “recommended by doctors”.
“People are often looking for quick fixes and can fall prey to scam artists promising miraculous cures or easy cures, especially in communities that lack access to reliable health services”Patricia Schouker, a member of the Payne Institute, based in Colorado, in the western United States, told AFP. “Impersonating a doctor gives these fraudsters an air of credibility and confidence.”
“Fighting misinformation”
For doctors like Natalia Solenkova, who works in intensive care in Florida, in the south-east of the United States, this type of misinformation has sparked aggressive harassment online.
Earlier this year, conservative commentators including American podcast host Joe Rogan spread a screenshot of a fake Covid-19 vaccine tweet that used the practitioner’s name and Twitter handle. . “Knowing that he (Rogan) has millions and millions of subscribers, I felt threatened”Ms Solenkova told the American Medical Association. “I felt threatened in my career, in my work, in my reputation”.
Mr. Rogan admitted his mistake. But Ms Solenkova had already been inundated with hate messages. “We (doctors) must continue to organize against misinformation”, urged Ms. Solenkova. “We must fight against this misinformation and harassment.”
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Other practitioners have also been threatened with legal action. Like Dr. Wong, whose name was impersonated for a viral advertisement for a brand of mixed nuts. The younger sister of late Philippine President Benigno Aquino III even denounced the use of her own name in the advertisement and asked Mr. Ong to stop promoting the product on his Facebook page, according to media reports.
“What’s happening to me right now is too much… I can’t believe it,” the doctor retorted in April, in a series of videos where he denounced the imposture. “I can’t believe they didn’t know these pages were fake”he lambasted.
Meta, called by consumer advocates to enforce tougher online policing, says it takes the threat “seriously” posed by such scams. “Platforms should invest in robust content moderation systems to detect and remove fraudulent listings and can play an important role in educating users about the risks,” pleads Ms. Schouker. For the expert, “Solving this issue requires a collective effort from platforms, regulators and law enforcement authorities.”