SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - A medical equipment company claiming to be based in Singapore has been flagged to the authorities here as its claims appear to be part of a scam.

Ophthalmetry, which had a website of the same name, touted the sale of top-grade medical equipment for optometrists and claimed to be based at 212 Orchard Turn.

However, a check found that such a location does not exist and the company is not registered here.

Responding to queries from The New Paper, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said it was aware of the website and that the site is hosted overseas.

A spokesman for HSA said: "We have alerted our overseas enforcement counterparts for their necessary actions. We have also informed the Singapore Police Force."

The website, which has been around since at least 2018, has been taken down.

RAISE AWARENESS

An eye doctor here who reported the website to the authorities spoke to TNP on condition of anonymity.

She wanted to raise awareness about it after her friend in the United States was almost scammed.

She said: "With the whole pandemic, medical practitioners around the world are turning to online suppliers to procure much-needed equipment.

"My professor friend in the US saw that it was based in Singapore, and we have a good reputation globally for medical resources. He almost fell for it but thankfully checked with me first."

She said the seller had asked for payment to be transferred to an Indonesian bank account and communicated through an Indonesian phone number despite claiming to be based here.

"It is absolutely horrible that there are people out there trying to take advantage of the pandemic to scam medical front-liners who are doing their best for the sick," she said.

"It is also such a shameless thing to use Singapore's name and mar it this way."

HSA said that healthcare professionals are advised to purchase medical devices from manufacturers, importers or wholesalers that are licensed by it.