Fake online therapist tricked hundreds of patients

Authorities in Florida and Tennessee have accused the social worker of helping his wife impersonate him in online therapy sessions for about two years.

Peggy Randolph, who was licensed to provide treatment in both states through a platform called Bright Side Health, allegedly knowingly defrauded hundreds of patients.

Randolph denies the allegations and says he was not aware that his wife, Tammy Heath Randolph, who was unlicensed and untrained, was treating clients under her name.

The scheme was discovered after Heath Randolph died in February 2023.

Randolph denied knowing his wife was treating patients on his behalf, but authorities said he was being paid for the care she provided.

The therapist voluntarily terminated his license in August 2023 after an internal investigation by Bright Side found that he had shared login credentials with his wife.

According to Tennessee health officials, Randolph worked at Bright Side Health from January 2021 to February 2023, and allegedly provided therapy to “hundreds of clients” during that time.

She allegedly undertook this ploy to free up time to see other patients in person.

As well as losing his medical licence, Randolph was also ordered to pay a $1,000 (£788) fine.

The investigation against Randolph was closed after she voluntarily surrendered her license, and no further information was provided by either agency about the nature of the evidence against her or her late wife.

The case only became public recently after the states of Florida and Tennessee unsealed documents about Randolph’s conduct in May.

Bright Side spokesperson Hannah Changi told CBS News that the company fired Randolph as soon as it learned of the allegations and reported them to state licensing authorities.

She did not disclose the exact number of patients affected “due to the nature of the incident and ongoing legal proceedings,” but said the company has refunded all affected patients.

“We are extremely disappointed that a single healthcare provider would betray the trust that Bright Side, and more importantly, our patients, had placed in her,” Changi said in a statement.