Customers searching online for a late-night massage around Jackson, Mississippi, are finding spa listings with real street addresses, glowing reviews, and around-the-clock availability. The businesses at those addresses say the listings do not belong to them.
Scammers are allegedly using legitimate business locations to advertise fake 24-hour spas, then requesting deposits through PayPal or Zelle before sending customers to properties that never scheduled their appointments.
At least one local spa owner said people began arriving at her business after hours and trying the door.
A customer who had already fallen for the listing showed up while a television crew was speaking with the owner.
The Online Profiles Borrow Real Business Addresses
A Google search for spas in Jackson and nearby Ridgeland returned several listings advertising 24-hour service, according to WLBT. The profiles used addresses belonging to legitimate local businesses, but the phone numbers and advertised services were not connected to the companies operating at those locations.
When callers contacted the numbers, no one answered directly. They instead received text messages asking what kind of massage they wanted and directing the conversation toward a deposit.
The profiles included multiple five-star reviews, giving potential customers another reason to believe they had found an operating local business. They also advertised familiar treatments such as hot stone, Thai, and Swedish massage alongside services the local owner described as illegal in the area.
The Deposit Request Moves Money Away From the Real Business
WLBT’s 3 On Your Side team contacted one of the listings and received a request to submit payment through PayPal or Zelle. The reporting did not disclose the requested amount.
The deposit, however, would have gone to the person controlling the digital payment account rather than the legitimate spa whose address appeared online.
One spa owner said the problem became a safety concern as more people appeared at her location expecting services. Her doorbell camera began alerting her when visitors arrived as late as 9 p.m. Some continued pulling on the door after seeing that the business was closed and operated under a different name.
The BBB Reported Listings Across the Jackson Area
The Better Business Bureau filed reports concerning profiles tied to addresses in Ridgeland, Pearl, and Brandon after WLBT brought the listings to its attention. O’Hara said similar fake spa profiles had appeared in Dallas, Miami, and New York, suggesting that the tactic was not limited to central Mississippi.
The BBB said Google would remove the flagged profiles within five to seven weeks. Until the listings disappear, customers searching for a spa may still encounter them and should confirm the business directly before sending money.
Real Addresses Can Still Be Used in Fake Listings
Consumers should be cautious when a listing promises 24-hour availability, uses a phone number that does not match the company’s official website, responds only by text, asks for payment before confirming the appointment, or directs money to a person or account name that does not match the business.
For spa, salon, massage, beauty, fitness, repair, and other appointment-based services, the safest step is to verify the booking through the business’s official website, published phone number, or in-person front desk before sending a deposit.
People who paid a questionable deposit should contact their bank or payment provider immediately, preserve screenshots, report the listing to Google, notify the real business whose address was used, and file a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.