Officials to file complaint against doctor impostor diagnosing COVID-19 by phone

The Health Ministry on Tuesday said it would press charges against an ultra-Orthodox man who was fraudulently posing as a doctor and offering COVID-19 diagnoses over the telephone.

The case was reported by Channel 12, who contacted the man after fliers appeared in the Haredi community promising “Dr. Natan Har” could confirm coronavirus  over the phone. He claimed to be able to detect in a cough whether the individual was infected with the virus and charged NIS 50 ($14) for the service.

The television network informed the Health Ministry of the fraudster.

A Health Ministry representative, presenting herself as a customer, contacted the suspect for his services. He asked her to cough, before saying: “Yes, unfortunately, you have it. You are carrying the virus,” before performing the same test on her son and also claiming he had COVID-19.

When the woman went to his home to pay, he demanded NIS 250 (71$), the report said.

Health Ministry inspectors then confronted the man, warning him to cease his activities immediately.

“My lawyer said I could present myself as a doctor, like Dr. Gav [a mattress store] or Dr. Stock. I’m just giving a consultation,” he told them.

“Do you understand that this is wrong?” the Health Ministry representatives inquired in an exchange filmed by a hidden camera.

“I’ll stop doing it,” he said.

Roni Berkowitz, head of the Health Ministry’s Division of Enforcement and Inspection, said: “The ministry views this severely. We will file a police complaint against him.”

The report did not specify how many people had been swindled.

The ultra-Orthodox community was hit harder than the broader population in the coronavirus outbreak, with members slow to adopt the government’s social distancing rules. Many in the community eschew the internet on religious grounds, making them more susceptible to false medical claims.