Teen Posed as Medic for 4 Months: Boy, 17, Arrested for Identity Theft
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested and charged after posing as a medical clinician in Australia for over four months.
A young teen has been haunting the halls of two hospitals in Southern Australia for at least the past four months. Dressed in scrubs and posing as a medical clinician, the teen was allegedly confident and well versed in medical terminology when interacting with other hospital employees, reports said.
Officials allegedly knew that the teen was only posing as a professional, but stated that they were unable to arrest the teen. He had not actually attempted direct interaction with a patient, the Daily Mail reported.
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Aside from making rounds at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre, the teen also sometimes worked the streets attempting to provide first aid to the general public, the report added. A memo was sent to both hospitals cautioning the facilities of the teen's routine but adding the he has "not to date committed substantive offences, but should he make physical contact with a patient, posing as a clinician, this would constitute criminal assault."
The teen was arrested last week and charged with administering a prescription drug, aggravated assault and identity theft after attempting to treat a 12-year-old girl who was involved in a scooter accident.
The boy's name was not revealed because he is a minor.
The teen's attempt at identity theft instantly reminded some of Frank Abagnale. The Leonardo DiCaprio film "Catch Me if You Can" was based on the infamous trickster and known con man.
Some users suggested that the teen was probably at least as good as other doctors working in the hospital.
"He can't be any worse than the bad doctors who are supposedly fully qualified. I wouldn't let some of them treat my budgie," one user prompted on the Mail Online blog.
