A Hellertown salon owner is warning the community about a potentially hair-raising text messaging scam she said a customer alerted her to over the weekend.
Lori Gough said the customer told her she received a text message claiming to be from Gough’s salon–Trendz of Sauon Valley–offering hair color kits and requesting credit card information.
“This is not from us,” Gough said in a post she shared Tuesday on the salon’s Facebook and Instagram feeds. “Sadly during difficult times like this someone is using us as a scam.”
She recommended that anyone who receives a similar type of text message not reply to it, and instead contact the salon via its social media platforms. Customers may also contact their stylist directly if they have their contact information, as well as law enforcement authorities if they feel the communication is illegitimate.
Gough said the customer who told her about the untoward text was unable to report the attempted scam to police because she no longer had it saved on her phone.
“Tell people to really be aware,” she said. “If someone asks for a credit card number in a text message, that’s a red flag.”
Trendz of Saucon Valley isn’t currently open, as a result of a state-mandated shutdown of non-essential businesses that began a month ago as part of a massive effort to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Many customers who regularly have their hair dyed in salons are beyond antsy about the fact that they haven’t been able to receive their regular color treatments, and that may be one reason why a fraudster is trying to scam women in this fashion, Gough acknowledged.
Pennsylvania State Police, hospitals and the state attorney general’s office have issued warnings to consumers regarding the potential for scam artists to exploit the widespread fear and uncertainty that have resulted from the ongoing pandemic.
