NATICK, Mass. — A small business in Natick is working to protect its reputation and warn customers after suspected scammers used the company’s photos, address, and online reviews to set up a fake competing business – known as an imposter scam.
Donna McDaniel answers phones and schedules appointments for customers at Le Belle Spa on Main Street. She told Boston 25 she knew something was wrong when two new customers walked in last week looking for a spa she didn’t recognize.
One customer said he made an appointment and paid a deposit, but McDaniel had no record of the man or his payment.
“He brought it up on his phone, and it was Amaya Serenity Spa,” McDaniel recalled. “I said, well, this is Le Belle.”
McDaniel told her boss, owner Lucivane Moreira. A simple Google search for Amaya Spa Natick turned up an Amaya Peaceful Spa, but with Le Belle’s photos, address and even name. Moreira realized customers booking with Amaya would pay in advance, then show up at their scheduled time only to find out Amaya – and their appointments – didn’t exist.
As a small business owner, she immediately thought of her customers and of the potential repercussions.
“What if people tried to book online and lost money,” Moreira told Boston 25. “What if they think it’s us?”
AMAYA CALLS BACK
Imposter scams are not uncommon. Utility companies, banks, and government agencies are often impersonated. Scammers try to trick you into making a payment or giving out sensitive financial information through phone calls, text messages, or emails, often pretending to be a representative of an otherwise legitimate company.
Boston 25 found examples of real companies using “Amaya” in their name in other states. But Le Belle Spa says the Amaya Peaceful Spa in Natick doesn’t exist.
Boston 25’s Cayle Thompson reached out to Amaya Peaceful Spa using the phone number and email address listed online. The number was a 781 area code but went to a generic voicemail with no mention of the spa’s name. The email address was a non-descript Gmail account.
Somebody tried to call back at 3:00 the next morning. When Thompson didn’t answer, a text message followed: “Are you calling to book an appointment for massage?”
Both the call and the text came from a phone number in Phoenix, Arizona.
Thompson texted back the next morning: “I’m trying to connect with Amaya Spa in Natick. Is there somebody I could speak with?”
About 90 minutes later came a response: “Yes I’m here I want to know what kind of massage are you after?”
The texter then sent the address for Le Belle Spa, but with this warning: “Please wait for my instructions before coming.”
Minutes later, the scammer called again. Only this time, it was as Boston 25 was preparing to interview McDaniel and Moreira at Le Belle Spa.
Thompson answered and a woman on the other end told him he was in the right spot for Amaya Peaceful Spa. But when Thompson pressed her to explain why it was called Le Belle Spa, she corrected herself and said she meant to say Le Belle. She even said she worked there.
When Thompson asked for her name to verify her employment, she said she’d text it and quickly hung up.
No more texts came after the call.
LOOK FOR RED FLAGS
It just so happens the spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Massachusetts is a regular customer of Le Belle Spa, which itself is an accredited member of the BBB.
Paula Fleming helped Moreira contact one of the sites hosting Amaya’s booking page, which disabled Amaya’s account soon after. Boston 25’s Cayle Thompson contacted a second host, who also quickly disabled Amaya’s account upon learning of the allegations.
“The consumer and the business are both victims in this scam,” Fleming said. “They stole reviews and names of actual employees to make fake reviews on Google. Scammers are exploiting the trust people place in online search results.”
While these types of scams can be convincing, there are almost always red flags. In this case, photos showing Le Belle Spa’s name should have been a giveaway to anybody searching online with Google.
Also, pay attention to contact information and website errors. Problems like misspellings, incomplete information, broken links, generic email addresses, and non-local area codes should give you pause before going any further.
If you’re still not sure, Fleming says get recommendations from people you trust in the community. You can also use the BBB’s website to look up a company’s status and research past complaints or scams in the area.
If you decide to pay, use a credit card so you can dispute the charges and get your money back if you don’t get what you paid for – or if a scammer tries to charge more than expected.
PROTECTING CUSTOMERS & COMPANY
Lucivane Moreira doesn’t want what happened to her small business to happen to anybody else.
She filed a police report with Natick PD to document the scam. She says she’s also reached out to Google for help pulling down some of the Le Belle photos that still pop up under Amaya’s name. So far, she hasn’t had any luck.
The prior links to Amaya Peaceful Spa in Natick are no longer working, but like many online scams, the BBB warns it may pop back up on another site or under a different name.
It’s why Moreira hopes sharing her story will encourage other small business owners to be on the lookout. Mostly, she just wants her customers to be safe.
“I hope they understand that we have had a very good reputation in Natick for a long time,” she says. “We’re not a scam.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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