The Police Anti-Scam Centre has urged the public to be cautious of medical scams.

The centre said there has been a recent increase in Facebook posts using patients’ photos requesting financial help.

Scammers use pictures of patients on the Internet and overseas websites to win people’s sympathy by mentioning children and serious illnesses, according to the centre.

The numbers in the scam posts do not respond to calls, but communicate via text messages.

The centre urged the public to verify the posts before donating by calling the given number. The centre also advised against sharing any posts that could be a scam.