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.
Flag of the European UnionThe EO’s Advocate General has weighed in on the use of uncleared sampling. For Maciej Szpunar, any uncleared sample of any duration counts as infringement. He notes:“Sampling (generally) involves the direct and permanent reproduction, by digital means and in digital form, of a portion or sample of a phonogram. It, therefore, seems to be quite clear that that act amounts to an infringement of the right of the producers of the phonogram in question to [authorize] or prohibit such a reproduction made without their permission.”The situation that sparked this event originated when music producer Moses Pelham used a two-second sequence from German band Kraftwork’s music. Pelham had taken a two-second sequence from the 1977 track ‘Metall auf Metall’ (Metal on Metal) and transformed it into an endless loop for the rapper Sabrina Setlur’s ‘Nur Mir’ (Only Me). Kraftwerk advanced it to court, where the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled two years ago against Kraftwerk’s copyright infringement case.
