Dodgy adverts impersonating a famous dermatologist and pushing fake products found online
Dodgy adverts impersonating a famous dermatologist and promoting products that don't exist have been uncovered on social media.
Three adverts for a bee venom cream that falsely claimed it was recommended by reputable medical bodies were among those found by consumer group Which?.
Two of the ads were posted from Facebook accounts impersonating Dr Emma Craythorne, a well-known dermatologist with more than 150,000 social media followers, despite her not being associated with the product.
The adverts claimed that the cream could cure skin tags and remove wrinkles in a week.
Dr Craythorne said the ads were complete "nonsense".
"These scams target the unwell and desperate, as well as those whose family members and friends are sick," she said.
The snapshot Which? investigation on Facebook and Instagram in March also found an advert targeted at diabetics promoting a "world-first" non-invasive glucose-monitoring detox wristband - which is not a genuine product.
It also found four adverts for weight-loss patches that claimed to burn fat by reducing inflammation as well as by curbing appetite.
Weight-loss patches have not been proven safe or effective and buyers on Trustpilot complained of not receiving orders.
There was also an advert promoting prostate treatment drops claiming to eliminate prostatitis -which should be treated with antibiotics.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have taken down the ads flagged by Which?
How can you spot a fake ad?
Lisa Webb, Which? consumer law expert, told Money that the safest thing to do was to "assume that an ad is fraudulent" with social media "crawling" with fake promotions.
"It's always best to keep your wits about you," she said.
If you want to check an ad is real, here are some steps to take:
"Don't click on any links in ads you see - instead you can hover over the URL to check if it matches the company's website to ensure you aren't being taken to a different site," Webb said.
"If you think an ad looks suspicious, you can use a reverse image search like Google Image Search or Tineye to copy the image in the ad and see if it has been used elsewhere.
"You can also check if the product or medicine being advertised is registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency by visiting their official website.
"If you spot anything which you think is suspicious, report it to the social media platform to be investigated."