A new fraudulent scheme is gaining momentum in Sofia and the country - this time, the scammers have targeted the most vulnerable, sick people, and one of the most painful topics - emergency medical care. While the institutions are silent, the scammers have already turned the “private ambulance business“ into a gold mine.
More and more people, faced with a difficult situation, are looking for a private ambulance on the Internet. In the panic of the need for immediate help, they end up on dozens of sites that offer supposedly “professional” services. But behind the phones are not doctors or real companies, but well-organized scammers. Instead of security, people get a shock – after a short transport to the hospital, they ask for amounts from 300 to 1000 leva. Money that is paid “in hand”. There are no receipts, no cash registers and there is no way to seek responsibility. But the most terrible thing is not the financial fraud, but a fraud that affects people's lives and health, as these fraudulent ambulances come without a doctor or with dubious qualifications, without equipment or it is not working.
Most often, those who fall for this fraud are people who are looking for emergency help and do not want to wait for state ambulances. But private ambulances are not allowed to provide emergency help and this is not the main problem. The scenario in such cases is that without equipment and without a doctor, the patient often dies. Our research has shown that hospitals do not accept patients brought in such dubious ambulances.
While ambulance scammers operate with impunity, there is one company on the market that proves that the service can be completely legitimate, affordable and professional. This is ENA1111 – Private ambulances ENA First Aid. The company operates throughout the country and outside Bulgaria. It has a fleet of over 120 equipped ambulances that meet all European standards and are fully registered within the meaning of the law.
Private ambulances ENA First Aid have highly qualified medical teams of resuscitators, doctors from various fields, nurses and specially trained drivers. Depending on the patient's condition, a team is formed, and in critical situations, the accompanying staff is determined by the attending physician. If the patient's condition worsens, the teams are prepared to respond immediately to save his life. This is a top-class service that has nothing to do with fraudulent “phantom ambulances“.
While people in need continue to fall victim to scammers who turn fear and pain into a profitable business, the largest and best private ambulances ENA show a different model. Transparency, licenses, certificates, equipped ambulances, proven experience and teams that provide real medical care. It is time for the state to take a more serious look at the problem of “fraud“ in ambulances. And until this happens, people should know that they have a choice - fraud or security.