Scammers are targeting clients looking to get their hair braided by using real stylists’ work and creating fake social media pages.
Reports of Scams
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is receiving reports of scams targeting individuals wanting braids. Scammers take pictures from legitimate stylists and post them on fake social media pages.
Modus Operandi
Potential clients find the fake pages and book appointments, often making small deposits. Clients realize they have been scammed when they do not hear back from the supposed stylist on the appointment day.
Impact on Legitimate Businesses
Real stylists like Porsche Hensley, who has been braiding hair for over 10 years and owns Divine Innovation 615 in Nashville, are affected. Hensley reported instances where clients arrived for appointments, only to find out they were scammed.
Precautions to Avoid Scams
BBB advises not to pay for the service in full before the appointment. Visit the stylist’s location before booking. Verify the stylist’s work by searching for them online and including the word “scam” after their name. Ask for the stylist’s license number and verify it.
Continuing the Business
Despite the scams, stylists like Porsche Hensley remain undeterred and continue their work.
Conclusion
Scammers exploiting the popularity of hair braiding are causing issues for both clients and legitimate stylists. Clients are advised to take precautions to ensure they are booking authentic services.
Apple Music LogoSpotify may face trouble in the future if it doesn’t find new ways to compete against Apple Music, particularly in the U.S. market.According to confidential subscriber data delivered to Digital Music News this summer, Apple Music now has more paying U.S. subscribers than Spotify. The Swedish-based Spotify maintains its lead overseas, with 75 million paid subscribers versus Apple Music’s 20 million outside the U.S, as reported in April.Some recent events complicate Spotify’s U.S. standing further. Apple Music has rolled out a variety of new improvements in a recent update that makes music discovery and updates far more intuitive, including clearly dividing singles from albums and creating an ‘essential albums’ section for artists. Apple’s recently approved acquisition of Shazam, cleared by the EU, also will allow access to a host of new exclusive music identification algorithms and copyrights.Spotify’s expansions into the direct licensing of music in the last year, while controversial, may provide some new benefits for the service, but it is yet to be seen how Spotify plans to increase its market share in the U.S., or how it plans to complete after the Shazam ruling.
