Doha, Qatar: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has warned the public about fraudulent messages related to health card renewals.

It advised the public to remain vigilant not open text messages or links from unverified sources.

The cautionary announcement came after reports of some people receiving scam messages about expiration of health cards and asking the recipients to click a link to renew their health card.“We kindly request all patients and members of the public to exercise caution and refrain from opening any SMS messages sent by unverified sources. These messages may contain fraudulent or suspicilinks that claim to update your personal information or health card,” HMC said on social media. It also reminded the public that health card renewal is initiated through a text message from HMC, which includes the official website link to the official Hukoomi - Qatar e-Government Portal.

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The warning by HMC underscores the importance of maintaining cybersecurity awareness and reinforces their commitment to ensuring the security and well-being of the community.

Some residents said they knew the messages were fraudulent.“The message was similar to those we receive as reminders to renew the health card. Such messages always mention the healthcare number. But the message I received didn't include the health card number. Also the sender's email and link given were suspicious, so I immediately deleted the message,” said Sam John, an Indian.

Another resident, Arusha, said she was initially a bit confused about the message but quickly realised it was fraudulent.“At a glance, I thought it was from HMC, but then I remembered that my health card was renewed a few months ago, and the link in the message was suspicious. So I deleted the message.”

The Ministry of Interior has repeatedly advised people not to respond to anonymtext messages seeking bank account or card details. It urged people to secure their online accounts by choosing unique passwords and changing them periodically.

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