A Sobering Look At Online Scams In The American Rehab Industry

Just like one in eight Americans, Leasha Ali had been struggling with alcohol abuse. Out of desperation, she decided that the best thing to do would be to seek help. Not knowing how to cope with the problem herself, like so many of us she immediately turned to Google. But instead of professional support she was searching for, the treatment she received turned out to be unfit to meet the needs of a vulnerable person fighting addiction.

“Having started out looking for help with her alcoholism, she ended up getting a lesson on the complex, opaque web of treatment centers and marketing operations that use the internet and high-pressure telemarketing techniques to profit off a booming market: addicts in America,” writes Cat Ferguson for The Verge.

In this terrifying yet truly brilliant longread from last year, The Verge examined how addiction recovery businesses, from treatment centres to patient brokers, used sketchy tactics, such as deceptive advertising, cunning tweaks to Google business listings and unethical targeting practices, to deceive addicts looking for care online.

After reading the report you'll probably think to yourself: that someone could so egregiously exploit another human being and seek to profit from those at the height of desperation is truly deplorable. Thankfully, following the story, Google pulled ads against a large number of rehab-related search terms. And to ensure that ads displayed come from legitimate facilities, the company then introduced a detailed third-party vetting process. Consequently, you're not just looking at valuable and deeply researched reporting here: The Verge's article is also an example of powerful journalism that truly made an impact.