Bay View salon alerts public about Cash App scam using its name
BAY VIEW, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A local hair salon says its name is being used to scam people online and wants the public to be aware of people trying to steal money.
Located on South Kinnickinnic Avenue in Bay View, Tease Salon is full of portraits of clients, doors used as clever decoration and stylists ready to help you feel beautiful. Owner Daniel Olkives opened the shop in 2007 and in his 16 years running it, he has not dealt with any scams other than an occasional bounced check until now.
"We've never run into anything like this," he said.
He tells CBS 58 that since November, people have been coming in with concerning stories about people pretending to be stylists from Tease to steal money.
"I would say we've had almost 20 cases now," Olkives said.
These scammers, Olkives said, tend to target Black clients looking for specific hair services.
"He [told us] he posted something on his Facebook that he was looking to have his dreadlocks retwisted, and that's not a service we provide," Olkives explained about one victim. "Someone responded, 'oh hey, I can do that. I work at this salon. I just need a $30 deposit through Cash App'."
One woman even lost hundreds for what she thought was a custom wig from the salon.
"She paid initially, a $30 deposit for the service, then a $20 shipping cost for a wig she was ordering, and then $175 for a wig. Now she's out $275 and her time," Olkives said.
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau (BBB) explains that scams through digital wallets linked to debit cards, like Cash App, make getting your money back impossible.
"Payment in this method is like paying cash. Your money is gone once you pay," Wisconsin BBB Spokesperson Lisa Schiller said.
Both the BBB and Olkives urge consumers to double check before hitting send.
"Check out their Instagram, check out their websites or just contact the business and say, 'hey, I just want to verify," Olkives said. "Again, these people have been like, 'it's only 30, 40 dollars.' It doesn't matter. It's your money, your time that you'd be putting toward a true service."
At Tease Salon, deposits for appointments are not made through mobile payment services.
"Either they're paying that deposit through our credit card machine here [in the salon] or over the phone," Olkives said.
The BBB recommends reporting scams or fraud to them so they can investigate.
"When people take time to report scams and fraud to our BBB Scam Tracker tool, we can investigate, write a press release, call and work with the media to get the word out," Schiller said.
"We can also often work with the business. For example, if they request or agree, we can, maybe, put an "alert" warning on their public BBB report. That way, consumers who inquire about the business will see the warning about a scam going around that is purporting to be the business and actually victimizing them."