While it’s a nice notion to think that everyone has good intentions and is only meaning to help, there are, unfortunately, those who prey on the vulnerabilities of others. This is true in the body-focused repetitive behaviour community as well. Communities like ours can be particularly prone to these kinds of predatory people, or bad actors, because of how little knowledge there is about BFRBs and how many folks in the community are keen on and even desperate for help.
This isn’t in an effort to incite paranoia, but rather in an effort to share tips on how you can protect yourself from those who would prey on the community.
Reflecting on the Impacts
Financial and emotional consequences are very real impacts of falling victim to those trying to take advantage of vulnerable communities. Bad actors often present relief or solutions in exchange for money, sometimes large sums of money, so that can have a large negative impact on a person. People are prone to spending money they might not have if offered some sort of reprieve when they’re struggling with something, including BFRBs.
The layers of emotional consequences may not seem as obvious. Disappointment and upset over something doesn’t work are the most obvious, but there’s also the risk of the person feeling like they’ve personally failed when something that was allegedly supposed to work didn’t. Bad actors even use tactics that can play into that exactly.
Ways to Spot Those Trying to Take Advantage of the BFRB Community
The person/company is only pushing their product or service—This is particularly true in cases where it’s an individual who doesn’t have any connection to the BFRB community, but in some cases can be the case even if they do. It’s about making a profit from something they have to offer rather than truly being a part of the community while happening to also having an item or service.
The product or service sounds too good to be true—There’s the saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This is often seen in the form of quick cures for picking, pulling, and biting behaviours. It can be anything from items that curb behaviours to oils that allegedly promote hair growth or skin healing.
Shady marketing tactics—If someone has a product or service to sell, they’re going to use marketing tactics. That’s a given, understandable, and unavoidable. It’s the kind of marketing tactics used that can be problematic. Alarmist and hyperbolic language can fall under this, as can blame-shifting language and pushiness.
- The use of alarmist or hyperbolic language to trigger an emotional response—Think of this as language that plays into your fears and desires or creates a sense of urgency or even panic. When it comes to BFRBs, you’ll likely see it in the desire category with promises of clear skin or a full head of hair. Again, BFRB cures are heavily played on in this area because that’s something that so many people want. The language can even include the word cure or verbiage around stopping or never engaging in the behaviour again. You may even see claims about “miracles” or “scientific breakthroughs.”
- Language that places the blame on the person with the BFRB—Willpower, discipline, and overall the effort that a person puts into their recovery or stopping the behaviour is what falls under this category. This is a tactic that’s used so that blame can be shifted to the person that bought the product or service to say they are actually the reason it failed, not the product or service. That’s not to say that the person with a BFRB doesn’t need to put any effort into their recovery, but pay attention to this kind of tactic because it can distract from the fact that the product or service is flawed or not proven to work.
- Pushiness even after you’ve said no—If someone genuinely just wants to share something with you that helped them or even that they can offer, they’ll respect your wishes if you say no. If they constantly push you and use tactics like the ones above or others to pressure you, they could have bad intentions and be preying upon the BFRB community as a whole.
Questions BFRBers Can Ask Themselves to Avoid Being Preyed Upon by Bad Actors
Are any claims made backed by science? Has the product or service in question been scientifically proven to help with BFRBs? Although there isn’t a lot of research in the BFRB world compared to other mental health and medical conditions, there is research to back how these disorders manifest and what can help them. When it comes to products in particular, pay attention to language like “scientifically tested” versus “scientifically proven.” All it means when something is scientifically tested is that it’s been, well, tested. That doesn’t, however, mean any tests were successful.
What kind of business or individual is pushing this product or service? Do they have the licensing or credentials to do so? This is an important question because, as we know, medical professionals will advertise their services and don’t necessarily have a connection to the BFRB community otherwise. Looking into the licensing and credentials of the person making claims or presenting a product or service is a good step to take protect yourself against bad actors.
If the product or service was recommended to you or advertised somewhere, is the person or organization sharing about it reputable? Organizations like the Canadian BFRB Support Network, TLC Foundation for BFRBs, and the Picking Me Foundation may share about various things that could help those in the BFRB community, such as fidget toys or treatment providers. This point is similar to the last one, but more centres on the nature of the person or organization and their involvement in the BFRB or even mental health or medical sphere.
What are the intentions of the person or business selling the product or service? This loops back to the first point in the section of ways to spot bad actors preying on the BFRB community. If the person’s sole or main intentions are to make money or gain something from you, then they may not be in it for the right reasons.
Is the fact that BFRBs are diagnosable conditions being ignored? This can manifest in many ways, but often is clearest in the way the product or service is presented, such as by offering a quick fix or in blame-shifting and emotional response triggering language.
Did the person cold message you?—If someone messaged you about the product or service, have you spoken with them before? If not, how did they come to obtain your information? Bad actors have been known to sneak their way into support groups and then cold message the people in these groups. Note: If this has happened to you, message and admin/moderator. They’re usually very good about handling it.
Ultimately, research is important. This protects you and the BFRB community as a whole from people preying on it. As always, ask your doctor or a medical professional before taking any medications, supplements, oils or otherwise, and also before beginning any new kinds of treatments. We’re all different, and each react to things in different ways, so what might be right for one person might not be right for another.
Keep in mind that bad actors may not necessarily be scammers or fraudsters in the way that we think of them where you send money but get nothing in return. You may very well get something in return, but it doesn’t meet up to expectations or fulfil promises that are presented. If you think what you’re encountering is a scam, you can report it to help protect the public as a whole.
Consumer Resources Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html
https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/04339.html
Consumer Resources US
https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection
https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/submit-consumer-complaint-ftc
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