Important Computer Safety Notice - Common Scams To Watch Out For

❏ Keep your contact details up to date

Having a current phone number and email address on file means you’ll be able to verify and authenticate your account with two-factor authentication, reset your password, and receive important notifications from StyleSeat, like activity alerts with any critical account changes such as bank account change, phone number change, etc. Having immediate access to be notified of these changes will help you proactively take the steps needed to report and stop the activity.

❏ Keep financial and tax information up to date

Regularly reviewing your payment and billing details means you’ll know right away if suspicious or unfamiliar information appears in your account. Keep in mind, during tax season, we partner with Stripe to send out your 1099 tax information if you qualify. In addition, reviewing and verifying tax information periodically throughout the year means you’ll be prepared when it comes time to file taxes on your earnings.

❏ Do not interact with suspicious messages

Never provide your personal information not publicly available on your StyleSeat profile in response to an unsolicited request. Whether it is over the phone, email, or text. Watch out for poorly written messages, and grammatical errors. Block any phone number or email address associated. Report any messages in the app for spam or fraud right away.

Be cautious of clients reaching out wanting to pay for high dollar services in advance (wanting to pay via wire transfer services like Western Union or MoneyGram or a gift card) and never deposit a check and send money back to someone.

❏ Know who you are talking to

Communication and Internet pages created by phishers may look exactly like the real thing. Always be cautious with links, and make sure the domain name always ends with "StyleSeat.com." If it looks different, like "StyleSeat.me," do not click on it. (The message uses subdomains, misspelled URLs (typosquatting), or otherwise suspicious URLs)

Fraudulent communications will probably warn you of needing your immediate attention. It may also likely encourage you to click on a button to go to the company website. Be cautious if the message is written to invoke fear or a sense of urgency. If a message does not feel right, feel free to email quality@styleseat.com and the team will be able to verify its legitimacy.

* Avoid responding to messages that include a request to verify personal information, such as financial details or a password. StyleSeat will never call, text, or email you asking for you to provide your personal information, such as credit card numbers or passwords.

❏ Review account statements regularly to ensure all charges are correct

If your financial institution offers electronic account access, periodically review activity online to catch suspicious activity. It is important to also pay attention to the notifications you receive when a critical account change takes place, such as bank account, password, email, etc., and notify us immediately at quality@styleseat.com if you DID NOT make these changes. 

❏ Communicate and transact on StyleSeat

We recommend using StyleSeat messaging to stay in touch with your clients. This also ensures that our Support team can assist you should an issue arise. If something doesn’t feel quite right, reach out to our Fraud and Compliance team directly by emailing quality@styleseat.com. Here we can help verify its legitimacy.

* We can’t refund transactions that take place off StyleSeat. If a client wants to pay outside of StyleSeat’s platform, Support will not be able to refund or take action should there be an issue. If payment was already exchanged outside of StyleSeat, immediately notify your bank directly to address any concerns about potentially fraudulent transactions.

❏ Safeguard your devices

To help protect your devices and accounts from hackers, perform regular maintenance on your phone, tablet, and computer, including these best practices:

• Clear old devices. When switching to a new device, delete any personal information and reset the old device to its original, factory settings.
• Change passwords regularly. Change the name of your wireless network—as well as any current passwords to something unique.
• Stay up to date. Keep all software, including virus protection software, up-to-date. Be sure your device is updated to the latest version when managing your StyleSeat account.

❏ Limit access to your account

It is always a good idea to limit access to your account to only those who truly need to use it. This will protect you from changes you didn’t authorize, such as accidental password resets. As outlined in StyleSeat’s Terms of Service, you’re solely responsible for your interactions with other users and you agree that it is solely your responsibility to take reasonable precautions in all actions and interactions with professionals and clients.

❏ Get support when you need it

Please be aware that account and marketing messages from StyleSeat will come from the following:

• info@style.styleseat.com
• 1 (415) 463-1931
• 1 (415) 687-5102
• Short code: 789537

If you’re ever worried that your account may have been compromised, or if you ever have any questions over a promotion or alert from anyone claiming to be StyleSeat, feel free to email quality@styleseat.com and the Fraud and Compliance team will be able to verify its legitimacy. In addition, please always pay attention to the notifications you receive when a critical account change takes place, such as bank account, password, email, etc. and notify us immediately at quality@styleseat.com only if you did not make these changes.

You may receive a phone call/ email or another contact method falsely claiming to be from StyleSeat that may ask you to log into your account to receive a special offer for your subscription or for CC information in order to book false appointments. Phishing scams are emails, calls, or texts falsely claiming to be from genuine companies that usually contain some type of link. These links are malicious and intend to gain access to your account to steal funds. Do not respond, click any links included, or provide any account information if you suspect a possible phishing attempt, and immediately report to quality@styleseat.com.

**StyleSeat will never reach out or do cold calling to our beauty professionals. If you ever receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from StyleSeat saying they can help boost your search for a price or anything similar, report it immediately.

This type of phishing attack uses previously delivered but legitimate emails that contain either a link or an attachment. Attackers make a copy -- or clone -- of the legitimate email and replace any number of links or attached files with malicious ones. Victims can often be tricked into clicking the malicious link or opening the attachment.

This technique is often used by attackers who have taken control of another victim's system (ATO). In this case, the attackers use their control of one system within an organization to email messages from a trusted sender known to the victims.

When a professional StyleSeat account is taken over by a scammer, usually through a phishing scam (an email/text/phone call intended to seem like it's from StyleSeat but contains a malicious link). NEVER click these links; these are fraudsters trying to gain access to your StyleSeat account. It is important to note that your personal information (SSN, bank account number, etc.) will not be compromised as StyleSeat encrypts this information to protect our users through our payments provider (Stripe.com).

You may receive spam messages through StyleSeat's messenger feature for unrealistic services. They may offer to pay more than the cost of the service or want to write out a large check. These should be red flags and reported right away. Always be diligent when something is "too good to be true" because it usually is. This type of scam is typically known as the "LIMO SCAM," and the cards being used are fraudulent. If they try to pay you with a check, it is likely that will not happen, or the check will be bad/stolen. Please discontinue any further communication with these individuals. We do our best to keep fraudulent clients off the platform. However, if you feel that something is not right let us know right away.

Example messages:

"I would like to know if you do nails? I have 20 girls going for a choreographer video shoot. Can you handle that for me?"

"Do you accept checks? We would issue that right away so that you can book the appointment for us, or we can pay 50% upfront."

In addition, please always pay attention to the notifications you receive when a critical account change takes place, such as bank account, password, email, etc. and notify us immediately at quality@styleseat.com only if you did not make these changes.