Scam alert: Which? logo used for fake hearing aid adverts
Scam adverts on Facebook promoting hearing aids imply that they’ve been endorsed by Which?, but this isn't the case.
In September, Which? was alerted to a series of dodgy adverts for hearing aids circulating on Facebook. The ads used the Which? logo and led to a website called 'Better Living Daily'. The website featured an article which claimed to be written by an expert audiologist.
The Facebook account and the website the ads link to are not associated with Which?. In September, we reported these ads to Meta, the owner of Facebook, and they were removed after a few days.
But these adverts have reappeared and despite repeated efforts to get these ads taken down, they remain live.
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Scam hearing aid ads
At the time of writing this, there were 62 live adverts on Facebook and Instagram from 'Better Living Daily', all promoting hearing aids and many of them using a version of the Which? logo.
The adverts claim that an audiologist has tested '5 top hearing aids' over six months to see which one delivered consistent results.
These ads were posted by a Facebook page created in August and some feature images and videos of what they claim are former NHS professionals stating that they’ve also tested the hearing aids.
All of the adverts lead to the Better Living Daily website, which was also created in August and features an article supposedly written by a ‘doctor’ listing and reviewing five types of hearing aids.
Which? reported the adverts to Meta over a week ago, initially using the same reporting channel that we used in September, but after little progress we appealed to its media team.
We have contacted Meta about these adverts popping up again, and it has confirmed that it is currently investigating them.
Which? has also reported the Better Living Website to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Which? has attempted to contact Better Living Daily, but we have had no response.
Which? doesn't test hearing aids, but we do review hearing aid providers and offer advice on how to buy the best hearing aids.
Spotting dodgy ads and websites
Social media is an effective tool for fraudsters to cast their nets wide and catch people out.
In some circumstances, dodgy adverts and posts can create a front for their scams and encourage people to visit their malicious websites, where they are able steal your details, money or even infect your device with malware.
Typical signs that an advert or a website may be part of a scam outfit are:
- An offer that sounds too good to be true.
- Fake endorsements – always look on the ‘endorsor’s’ website to check if these are legitimate.
- The post coming from a random account that has nothing to do with the company it claims to be from.
- A newly created website, as this could have been set up recently for scam purposes. You can use a domain checker such as who.is to see when it was created.
- Poor spelling and grammar on the advert or website.
- A website that lacks contact details, a privacy policy or terms and conditions.
- Bad reviews across numerous review platforms.
You can report scam ads on Facebook and Instagram by selecting the three dots in the top right corner and pressing report.
Scam websites can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre.
If you lose any money to a scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud, or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.
