If Bronwyn Hibbs could go back in time, she'd scroll right past the Facebook ad that started it all.
The 53-year-old from Queensland has lived with type 1 diabetes for decades and was intrigued when she saw a "non-invasive laser glucometer" being advertised online for less than $40.
The Facebook ad claimed that the device, which supposedly used a laser to read blood glucose levels instead of a finger prick test, was approved by Diabetes Australia.
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When Hibbs tapped the link, it took her to AussieHaven.shop - a website that claimed all its products were exclusively made and sold in Australia.
Everything seemed legitimate, so Hibbs ordered two glucometers for $72.99.
She realised she'd been duped as soon as they arrived.
"The outside of the package was what I had ordered," she told 9news.com.au.
"But I opened them up and it was one of those oximeter things.
"You can't do anything with [the oximeter] for your blood glucose ... it's all lies."
Instead of glucometers, Hibbs received two oximeters used to measure blood oxygen levels and pulse.
They do nothing for her diabetes management.
She was also overcharged for them; $102.67 was taken out of her PayPal account instead of the $78.98 she thought she was paying ($72.99 for the two glucometers and an additional $5.99 "trial eligibility" fee).
When she tried to contact AussieHaven to make a complaint, her emails went unanswered.
Frustrated, Hibbs turned to PayPal to request a full refund and got her $102.67 back after almost a month of back-and-forth, but many victims who lose cash to these scams never see it again.
Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Leach at mleach@nine.com.au
Diabetes Australia, the nation's peak body for diabetes, is aware of and "deeply concerned" by a number of social media scams targeting Australians living with diabetes, including the one Hibbs fell for.
Many of the scams claimed to be associated with Diabetes Australia, some shared directly by a fake Diabetes Australia Facebook page.
"We have received a growing number of reports from our community about fraudulent diabetes technology advertising," Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain told 9news.com.au.
"Some individuals have paid for products that never arrived, while others received devices that provided inaccurate glucose readings, posing a serious, even life-threatening, risk."
Australians living with diabetes spend an average of $4000 managing the condition each year, according to a 2024 Diabetes Australia study and those living with type 1 spend almost twice as much as those with type 2.
Almost 70 per cent of people living with diabetes surveyed for the study reported that the amount they spend on management has risen in the last five years, and 90 per cent said they are anxious about the rising cost of living.
Cain isn't surprised that scammers are preying on these fears by promising cheap glucometers and other diabetes products online.
"With the rising cost of living, many Australians are understandably looking for affordable diabetes products," she said, but "if a deal seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is".
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Hibbs is usually very cautious when making online purchases and is angry she got lured in by something as innocuous as a Facebook ad.
"It was just a straightforward transaction through my PayPal. Nothing looked dodgy," she said.
Scamwatch reports that Australians lost more money to social media scams than any other contact method in 2024 and these ads targeting Australians with diabetes are only one of the latest iterations.
At the time of writing, at least five Facebook ads for the glucometer Hibbs tried to purchase on the AussieHaven website were still active via a fake Diabetes Australia Facebook page.
Hibbs said she reported the page and ads to Meta but claimed "Facebook are not taking any responsibility" for what happened to her.
A Meta spokesperson told 9news.com.au it is currently "reviewing the content".
Meta works with police and regulatory bodies and 9news.com.au understands it removed more than a billion fake accounts from Facebook in just three months last year.
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In hindsight, there were red flags Hibbs missed on the AussieHaven site when she placed her order.
Despite claiming its products are made and available only in Australia, the site's returns page lists a return address in Shenzen, China, and it sells a bizarre mix of products, from drill bits to keychains and a sushi maker.
Cain also confirmed that Diabetes Australia does not allow technology companies to use its logo in advertising, which can be a dead giveaway of a misleading product.
She urged consumers to always verify product claims with their diabetes healthcare team, while Hibbs warns Aussies not to make the same mistake she did.
"If it seems too good to be true, then yes, it is definitely too good to be true."
9news.com.au reached out to AussieHaven for comment but did not hear back.
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