Note: In recent months, complaints have also risen from people who used the service months or even years ago, whose money was abruptly stolen by BetterHelp. Please don’t sign up. They are not dodgy or questionable: they are scam artists, plain and simple. If they don’t steal from you right away, they may do so in the future. All your information is retained. Do not give them any payment details.

Complaints against BetterHelp on BBB have been mounting in August: aside from the usual issues (clients deceived into paying for no service), there were many from mental health professionals and social workers, whose profiles had been copied from other websites, to be advertised on this “medical service farm” without their consent. What is more, those profiles didn’t link to their practices, but instead, to BetterHelp: a company they’d never worked for.

This was not only deceptive towards BetterHelp’s prospective clients, as it involved advertising the services of professionals who didn’t work there, but also to said professionals, as it was misleading (and potentially steering away) their own prospective clients.

Although the other website’s name has been censored in the following reviews, they are extremely similar and in quick succession; these people were (and potentially still are) obviously in the same predicament.

The following is even more alarming, as they seem able to compile data from various sources to throw these profiles together. This data isn’t necessarily accurate. This time, a personal phone number, clearly not listed by this therapist on any genuine business profile, was included:

The following complaint also mentions the therapist’s credentials being misrepresented, which apparently puts their licence at risk; it also mentions this being a repeated occurrence in their area. It seems this profile harvesting, to attract unsuspecting clients to BetterHelp, has become a widespread phenomenon. At this point it bears asking whether most therapists on BetterHelp have actually quit, hence why the company can’t use their profiles instead in order to advertise, and has to resort to fraudulent behaviour. Though one would think the existence of profiles of former contractors would be easier to explain than those of people who have had no connection to the company.

It also appears that recently, serious questions have begun to be asked of BetterHelp (perhaps a few years too late for people who have been defrauded, but regardless). Hopefully this is an actual official inquiry and not merely a facade.

Yet another complaint is based on theft after 7 years – yes, 7 years, during which they have kept this person’s bank details, to suddenly start charging again with no permission whatsoever. It looks awfully like this company is getting desperate and the jig is (almost) up.