Nicki, Minaj, pink Friday 2, album, pure sales, streaming, billboard

by Alisa Gumbs

October 12, 2024

Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday Nails Pop Up In New York City

BLACK ENTERPRISE sits down with celebrity nail artist Yvett G, the brand's creative director.

Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday Nails is debuting its first-ever pop-up shop, in collaboration with Shopify, in New York City. The weekend event is an immersive experience with exclusive nail art demonstrations, interactive sessions, and a first look at recent product launches.

Pink Friday Nails launched earlier this year as a direct-to-consumer brand, coinciding with Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 tour. It features almost a dozen designs of press-on nails, some in multiple colorways, in four different nail shapes and five different lengths. The line prides itself on quality, affordable nails based on styles worn by Minaj.

“When I became a mom, I couldn’t spend as much time getting my nails done as when I only had to worry about me, so it became a necessity to create fly, quality press-on nails,” Minaj said in a statement.

“I told my team when we started Pink Friday Nails that if I don’t want to wear them, I’m not going to even attempt to sell them.”

https://twitter.com/pinkfridaynails/status/1841149411746812108

The pop-up also features a chance to meet Yvett G, celebrity nail artist and the creative director of Pink Friday Nails, who has been instrumental in translating the superstar’s vision into stunning designs and crafting a line of nails that combines practicality with glamour.

Pink Friday Nails creative director Yvett G — Creative Director Yvett G at Shopify x Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday Nails (Photos captured by Jamie Pearl)

BLACK ENTERPRISE got a sneak peak at the pop-up and an exclusive sit-down with the creative director to chat about succeeding as a woman of color in the nail industry:

How did you get into doing nails?

I’ve been doing nails since I was 15. It came to me naturally. I was just really good at it. But society has that thing of [telling you] you have to do college. I went to college for international business. But I craved the creative side. I had a regular job and I did nails on the side for a very long time. The turning point for me was when my son was born 13 years ago. When that happened, a lot of things shifted.

As you were coming up, was there anyone that you looked to as a professional role model?

Unfortunately, no, because within the nail community, there’s not a lot of people that look like us, you know, either Latinos or Black. I didn’t really have anybody necessarily, but I think that’s what pushed me. So as I was doing it, I made it a point of bringing people along with me.

So how did you learn the business side?

There was a lot of trial and error, definitely made a lot of mistakes. There were people that helped me. Most of my family is self-employed, so that helped.

It’s so important to get help with the business.

Yeah. I definitely want to give a shout-out to Shopify. Everything is so seamless. And also, a lot of business right now is social media—influencers. They have this tool: Shopify Collabs. It’s kind of like a directory, and that has made it so much easier. With Shopify, it’s like a one-stop shop. It’s a new way of doing business.

Aside from the technical aspects, what skills do you think are necessary for someone to succeed in this industry?

You definitely have to have social skills. People are going to be sitting with you for hours. And you also have to be adaptable. If you want to do the celebrities, the shoots, and all that, a lot of things are so last minute. It’s gonna switch up on you. So I think definitely one of the biggest things is adaptability and flexibility.

What’s your best advice for other women of color who want to reach the success that you have?

Keep going. I definitely failed a few times. Don’t listen to other people if they want to deter you. When I decided to do this, it was looked down on. I remember people saying stuff like, “What are you going to do when you have a real job?” I’m like, this is a real job. So don’t listen to the haters and if you fail, just try it again.

If you’re in New York City and ready to immerse yourself in the very pink world of Pink Friday Nails, the pop-up runs through Sunday, October 13, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm at Shopify NY, 131 Greene St., New York, New York.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 12, 2024

Black Employee Sues Company For Sending Police to His Home for A ‘Wellness Check’

The Workday company is being sued for sending police to a Black employee's home for a wellness check.

A Black employee is suing the Workday company for sending the the police to his home for a wellness check.

Anthony Hill, a senior legal counsel at Workday currently on leave, has filed a lawsuit against his employer for race and disability discrimination, Business Insider reports. The suit, filed in the Northern District of California’s court in December 2023, follows a police “wellness check” that occurred while he received treatment at a hospital and had requested medical leave.

Hill was on medical leave from Oct. 12, 2022, to Nov. 22, 2022, the lawsuit states. In the lead-up to his medical leave, Hill claims he began drinking more due to mounting tension and sought hospital care for “stress, exhaustion, and trauma resulting from the disparate, discriminatory, retaliatory, harassing, and hostile treatment” he experienced from other Workday employees.

On the day of his hospital visit, Hill said he emailed his manager to notify her of a medical emergency and his need to go to the hospital. He also submitted a completed leave request form and mentioned that he would soon file the necessary Family and Medical Leave Act paperwork.

His manager responded the next day with FMLA information and told Hill, “Please don’t worry about work and focus on feeling better.” However, by Oct. 20, police were sent to his house for a wellness check.

“There’s nothing they would’ve thought cops with guns could solve on Oct. 20 that doctors with stethoscopes could not have solved,” Hill said.

According to the police report, a Workday safety and security manager initiated a wellness check on Hill after the company could not reach him or his wife, who was listed as his emergency contact. The police spoke with Hill’s wife, who confirmed that he was receiving medical treatment. Hill says he did not receive any calls or emails from his employer following his manager’s last email on Oct. 13, prior to the wellness check.

He said he spoke with the human resources department to better understand why the wellness check was requested, but staff refused to provide him with information or documentation about it.

“They won’t tell me anything. Did they think it was an emergency? Did they think I was in danger?” Hill said. “Did they think I was going to hurt someone? Why did they send police to my house and endanger my wife and kids?”

Upon returning to work, Hill claims to have experienced “awful treatment,” including increased pushback and being excluded from meeting invitations. He also mentioned that he was on a modified schedule, working part-time after initially being hired for a full-time position.

In March 2023, Hill was placed on paid administrative suspension for five weeks. By May 2023, he had gone on approved disability and medical leave but stated that his request for long-term disability leave had been denied.

In April 2023, Hill filed a charge against Workday with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He later filed a lawsuit against the company in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia in August 2023, which was voluntarily dismissed without prejudice. He refiled his suit in December 2023, and it is still ongoing.

“Without a doubt, I was retaliated against over and over again,” Hill said.

In addition to Hill’s discrimination lawsuit, Workday is also facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that its AI-powered software discriminates against job applicants by screening them out for biased reasons.

sisterhood, Ole Miss, South Carolina, women's basketball, Angel Price,

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 12, 2024

NCAA Asking Fans To Reduce Online Abuse Toward College Players And Officials

80% of the abuse in the study was directed at players who participated in March Madness

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and Signify Group surveyed college sports to investigate online harassment. The survey determined that the majority of abuse targeted students who participated in the March Madness tournament. It also showed that women basketball players received about three times the threats as their male counterparts.

According to the NCAA, a study was done with Signify Group using data powered by artificial intelligence regarding public comments directed toward the profiles of players, coaches, and officials throughout the seven NCAA championships and the College Football Playoff National Championship. Based on the results, officials are asking fans and social media companies to reduce online abuse.

“I’ve heard too many student-athletes talk about abusive messages they have received, and for the first time ever, we now have evidence of the scale at which this is occurring. It’s incredibly alarming and completely unacceptable,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a written statement. “Fans have to do better, social media companies have to do more to identify and remove this content, and we all need reminders about responsible social media usage. Student-athletes come to college hoping to fulfill their athletic and academic dreams, and our job at the NCAA is to provide them with the most fulfilling experience possible. We will exhaust all options to reduce the harassment and vitriol student-athletes are experiencing too often today.”

Their AI-based algorithm flagged more than 72,000 messages from a dataset of 1.3 million posts and comments on social media profiles of student-athletes, coaches, and officials involved in the recent events. Over 5,000 of the flagged posts contain abusive, discriminatory, or threatening content.

The report released the following data:

18% of all abuse was sexual, making it the most prevalent type of abuse used to target male and female student-athletes.
12% of all abuse was related to sports betting, with more than 740 instances. As betting markets increased, so did the prevalence of harassment, with 19% rates in men’s basketball and football. Some abuse flagged in other categories indicated that the posts were betting-related.
10% of abuse consisted of racist content.
9% of abuse was homophobic/transphobic.
6% of abuse, approximately 380 instances, was violent.
80% of the abuse in the study was directed at March Madness student-athletes.
- Women’s basketball student-athletes received approximately three times more threats than men’s basketball student-athletes

“I’ve seen firsthand the negative impacts of social media abuse on the mental health of myself and my loved ones,” said Connor McCaffery, men’s basketball assistant coach at Butler. “There must be more done to address this toxic behavior impacting sports at all levels.”

white house, keisha lance, Keisha Lance Bottoms, dress code

by Kandiss Edwards

October 11, 2024

Former Atlanta Mayor Denied Entry To Restaurant, Allegedly Due To Dress Code

Keisha Lance Bottoms denied entry to restaurant due to attire. For the second time.

Oct. 9, Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms claimed she was denied a seat at an Atlanta restaurant due to her casual attire, which “violated” the establishment’s dress code.

Bottoms posted about the encounter on her X account. The politician admitted that she was not in the specified “business casual” dress code, but other patrons did not meet the requirement either. She observed patrons in all forms of casual clothing such as “shorts, baseball caps, and flip flops in the restaurant.”

I was AGAIN told by a hostess that I could not be seated in an Atlanta area restaurant (not the same one as last time) because I had on “yoga” pants, which was supposedly against their “strictly enforced” business casual policy. After I pointed out that there were patrons, none…

— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) October 9, 2024

The former Mayor observed that other seated restaurant customers did not look like her. Bottoms, seemingly, questioned her reoccurring experience, “It can’t be just me.”

The Georgia resident refused to name the “Atlanta area” restaurant to avoid sending harassment its way.

This is not the first time Mayor Lance Bottoms allegedly experienced this type of treatment by an Atlanta eatery. In April 2022, Bottoms was turned away from Capital Grille, located in the Perimeter Mall.

Keisha Lance Bottoms was turned away from Capital Grille for ‘wearing leggings’ https://t.co/l1sqQ6J3Fl pic.twitter.com/aUxDUcqXdY

— celebitchy (@celebitchy) April 18, 2022

During that encounter, Bottoms’s chosen attire was leggings, NBC reported. In a now-deleted X post, Bottoms suggested Capital Grille was selective in choosing the customers who entered the establishment.

“Asked if I could sit in the bar area and was told, ‘No.’ Rules are the rules, just wonder if the woman who came in immediately after me, who I did not see come back out, was also denied service.”

This time around, Bottoms is hoping to speak with the owner of the establishment to get a better understanding of how the dress code is enforced.

Atlanta is known and celebrated for its robust cultural scene. However, the city’s restaurant industry can’t seem to catch a break.

In October 2023, TikTok food critic Kieth Lee went to Atlanta as a part of his food tour to sample food from local restaurants. The tour did not end well. While Lee does not always find delicious food in all major cities, he is able to find food. The former MMA fighter made more than one review without food. He noted long wait times, inconsistent hours of operation, and strange “rules” as the reasons for his inability to order.

@keith_lee125 The Real Milk & Honey taste test 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic ♬ original sound – Keith Lee

Lee’s Atlanta tour led to a slew of discourse on social media. People from all over the country chimed in to share their experiences about dining in Atlanta.

The reviews are still out on the reason for Bottoms’s Atlanta experience. Hopefully, she can partner with the restaurant owner to gain clarity on rule enforcement.

by Mitti Hicks

October 11, 2024

Michelle Obama’s ‘Party At The Polls’ Returns With More Than 500 Events Across Election Season

People should expect a celebration with music, food, entertainment, and activities for all ages, as volunteers aim to make voting accessible, inclusive, and fun.

Michelle Obama’s national nonpartisan voting initiative, When We All Vote, has relaunched “Party at the Polls” for the general election. Party at the Polls turns the voting experience into a community celebration to increase voter turnout, while reinforcing the importance of voting.

For 2024, Party at the Polls will be bigger than before, as there will be more than 500 early voting events nationwide throughout October and into the first week of November.

“At When We All Vote, we believe that voting should be joyful and using our voices at the polls is truly something to celebrate,” said Beth Lynk, Executive Director of When We All Vote. “The election doesn’t start on Election Day — it ends on Election Day. Through our Party at the Polls program, we encourage and celebrate early voting.”

People should expect a celebration with music, food, entertainment, and activities for all ages, as volunteers aim to make voting accessible, inclusive, and fun.

Organizers say the event has proven effective in encouraging people to attend the polls, especially among young voters and voters of color.

In 2020, research found that the Party at the Polls program increased voter participation by up to 4 percentage points. Early voting events proved the most effective, as data also found that community events boosted turnout by approximately 3.5%, or 90 votes, per precinct.

While there are hundreds of community and volunteer-led events, flagship Party at the Polls events appear to be in crucial swing states.

Party At The Polls Flagship Events

Celebrate Philadelphia Block Parties in Philadelphia: In partnership with Welcome America, When We All Vote will host a two-part block party series at two of the City of Philadelphia’s satellite election offices on October 12 and 19. The series will feature performances, engaging conversations, sponsor activations, community tabling, giveaways, and more.

Walk to the Polls in Window Rock, AZ: When We All Vote and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios will join Protect the Sacred and Mark Ruffalo for a Walk to the Polls with Diné College in Navajo Nation on October 12.

Community College Vote ‘24 Events in Pittsburgh, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Grand Rapids, MI, and Milwaukee, WI: When We All Vote and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios will celebrate community college students making their voices heard this year with on-campus parties at Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, PA, on October 21, Community College of Philadelphia, Grand Rapids Community College on October 29 for Vote Early Day, and Milwaukee Area Technical College with the Milwaukee Bucks on October 31.

VotaPalooza in Phoenix, AZ, and Atlanta, GA: When We All Vote and Grita Canta Vota will host Get Out The Vote Music Festivals to celebrate Latino voters through music, dance, culture, and community in Phoenix, AZ, on October 17 and Atlanta, GA, on October 20.

Drag Out the Vote Drag Show in Phoenix, AZ, and Divas for Democracy Dance Party at the Polls in Las Vegas, NV: When We All Vote and Drag Out the Vote will present a Get Out The Vote drag show in Phoenix on October 18 with Barbra Seville and Drag Out The Vote Drag Ambassador Afrika America, and a drag show and dance party with Drag Ambassadors and local drag artists, including Drag Ambassador Plasma from RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16, in Las Vegas on October 29.

ONE Musicfest in Atlanta, GA: When We All Vote and Live Nation Urban will bring voters together at ONE Musicfest on October 26-27 in Central Park, featuring headliners Cardi B, Gunna, Jill Scott, Victoria Monét, and Earth, Wind & Fire, and performances by Dru Hill, Fridayy, Destin Conrad, Fantasia, Jeremih, Sexyy Red, GloRilla, Nelly, BigXthaPlug, Young Nudy, T.I., BossMan Dlow, Method Man & Redman, and more. When We All Vote is also running a sweepstakes for voters to enter to win GA+ tickets, travel, and hotel accomodations for taking action.

For a complete list of events, visit When We All Vote’s Party at the Polls tab on its website.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 11, 2024

Bath & Body Works Pulls Holiday Candle After KKK Comparisons

Bath & Body Works apologizes for its holiday candle resembling KKK attire.

Bath & Body Works had to pull its holiday-inspired candle for its resemblance to the KKK uniform.

On Oct 8, an American specialty retailer went viral for all the wrong reasons after social media users reacted to its “Snowed In” candle. The candle’s packaging, featuring a snowflake design against a red backdrop, quickly sparked a wave of criticism online. As Oscar Wilde once said, “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about” — a sentiment the retailer might not appreciate in this context. However, a closer look at the snowflake design revealed an unsettling resemblance to the infamous white hoods associated with the Ku Klux Klan, TMZ reports.

https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/1844510506226209027

“How did they not see that coming? Glad they took it down, tho. sometimes companies really need to double-check their designs before dropping them,” one person tweeted in response.

“Bath & Body Works removing that candle was a necessary move. How did that design even make it to shelves?” added someone else.

“This isn’t just a branding mistake; it’s a reminder of how sensitive cultural symbols can be. Let’s hope they take this as a lesson in awareness and responsibility.”

Amid outcry over the slip-up, Bath & Body Works issued a statement apologizing for its “unintentional” mistake.

“We are committed to listening to our teams and customers and committed to fixing any mistakes we make—even those that are unintentional like this one,” the statement read.

“We apologize to anyone we’ve offended and are swiftly working to have this item removed and [are] evaluating our process [going] forward.”

Why I’m thinking Bath and Body Works have a new fragrance and it’s the same fragrance only in kente cloth colors 🥴😪 pic.twitter.com/PJpaMlNikb
— SMOOTH MELANIN (@smoothmelanin) January 29, 2022

This holiday misstep comes just two years after Bath & Body Works faced backlash for using African-American-inspired branding on its regular products for what seemed like a Black History Month promotion.

“Why I’m thinking Bath and Body Works have a new fragrance, and it’s the same fragrance only in kente cloth colors 🥴😪,” one X user wrote at the time.

In response, a spokesperson issued a statement that ignored the criticism, choosing instead to highlight the retailer’s donation to the National Urban League.

“We are committed to improving our culture through our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and part of that work has been to celebrate cultural milestones and moments — including Black History Month.

“We support organizations that fight against racism and inequality, including the National Urban League and the Columbus Urban League. We are donating $500,000 to support the organizations’ work.”

TI, comedy, comedian, BET, Show, it's my city, don't play with me, T.I., flyer, promote, king

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 11, 2024

T.I. Announces Upcoming Performance Is His ‘Last Working Gig’

'I don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t want people to pay me to hop around and sweat for their entertainment anymore.'

In a recent radio interview promoting an upcoming holiday concert in Atlanta, one of the hometown artists announced that his performance at the event would be his last.

While appearing on 96.1 The Beat on Oct. 10, Atlanta recording artist T.I. stated that he would not be performing after the upcoming show, the Jingle Ball, which takes place on Dec. 19. He thanked the radio station for his “last working gig” and told the host that he won’t be performing, although he stopped short of announcing his retirement from hip-hop.

“I appreciate y’all for offering me my last working gig because I do not need the money anymore, and I will not be performing,” T.I. said. “I don’t want to do it anymore… I don’t want people to pay me to hop around and sweat for their entertainment anymore.”

When asked what he would be doing in the future, he responded, “I’m going to answer the phone to tell them that I will not be performing.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 96.1 The Beat #Atlanta (@thebeatatl)

Well, we know that T.I. is not starving for money, as it was recently reported that he and his wife, Tiny Harris, have just won a lawsuit against MGA Entertainment. The couple won $17.9 million in actual damages and $53.6 in punitive damages, for a total of $71 million on Sept. 23. The couple sued the company, claiming that they stole the likeness of their girl group, OMG Girlz. The group’s lead singer was their daughter, Zonnique Pullins.

They initially filed a lawsuit last year based on the claim that the OMG line of the L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls were taken from their intellectual property. That trial ended in a mistrial, which led to a second filing several months later. The latest trial lasted three weeks and ended with a victory for the Harris family.

50 Cent, ex-girlfriend, instagram, lawsuit

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

October 11, 2024

50 Cent Sues Jeweler Who Openly Advertised Copying Custom-Made Bling

The 'Power' executive wants no less than $5 million

A jeweler who taunts 50 Cent on social media by openly bragging that he steals designs from the jewelry the “Get Rich Or Die Tryin'” lyricist shows off in public is being sued by the rapper.

According to The Wrap, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson filed a lawsuit against Maksud Agadjani and his company, TraxNYC, on Oct. 10 for making knockoffs of the jewelry he wears, which are custom-made for the Power executive. 50 filed the paperwork in the Southern District of New York court under trademark infringement and unfair competition.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TRAX NYC (@traxnyc)

“Defendants, who are in the jewelry business, willfully and knowingly created imitations of an original necklace designed exclusively for Jackson; used Jackson’s name, image, and other intellectual property rights to mislead consumers into believing Defendants’ reproductions are affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Jackson; and continue to use Jackson’s name, image, and other intellectual property rights for commercial gain,” it states in the lawsuit.

It also says that 50 has even reached out to Agadjani to warn him to stop, and the jeweler replied on social media by writing, “@50Cent yo, don’t you got better things to worry about?”

The rapper is asking that Agadjani and his associates stop imitating the jewelry he wears and has requested that he pay 50 no less than $5,000,000. He took legal measures to protect his brand, name, and image which he’s “spent decades creating, maintaining and enforcing.”

After he was hit with the lawsuit, Agadjani took to his social media, on Instagram, and timidly asked 50 to drop the lawsuit as the bravado previously shown in previous videos was gone.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent)

The jeweler was seen playing the character Yussi in the Adam Sandler-led motion picture, Uncut Gems, which came out in 2019.

Of course, 50, known for his trolling on social media, responded with his usual “I’m a need that by Monday” quote.

credit cards, personal finance, credit scores, debt, credit karma, FTC

by Mitti Hicks

October 11, 2024

Can Credit Card Debt Become Uncollectible? Experts Say It Depends On Location

The average American carries an overall balance of about $6501 on their credit cards, according to Experian, and as more people search for debt relief, there are some questions about whether credit card debt can come uncollectible?

August marked a historic moment for Americans. A report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that Americans owed a record $1.14 trillion on their credit cards. Credit card balances reportedly rose by $27 billion in the second quarter of 2024, which is a nearly 6% increase from a year ago.

Unfortunately, credit card delinquency rates are also higher. In the second quarter of 2024, 7% of households reported serious delinquency (90 days or more) on their credit cards, compared to 5% at the same time in 2023.

Vonda Copeland, co-owner of Copeland Insurance Agency, told CBS News that with the current economy, high interest rates, and job insecurity, more people are relying on credit cards for basic needs. It’s a disastrous recipe, unfortunately, for falling behind on payments.

The average American carries an overall balance of about $6,501 on their credit cards, according to Experian, and as more people search for debt relief, there are some questions about whether credit card debt can come uncollectible. Turns out, it depends on a number of factors, including the credit card user’s location.

Factors That Lead To Uncollectible Debt

James Lambridis, founder and CEO of DebtMD said creditors usually sell unpaid debt to collection agencies from anywhere between three and six months. Most agencies try to retire anywhere between 20 and 40% of the original balance.

Credit card debt becomes uncollectible after three main factors: expiration of the statute of limitations, bankruptcy filings, and creditors decision to write off the debt.

When the statute of limitations are involved, it begins when creditors begin sending calls and letters to collect payment towards the debt.

“If the debt remains unpaid for the duration specified by the statute of limitations — usually between three to ten years depending on the state — the creditor loses the legal right to sue for repayment,” Kristy Kim, CEO and co-founder of TomoCredit said, adding that the debt legally becomes time-barred and legally uncollectible.

Even though creditors lose their right to sue or garnish wages against borrowers when debt becomes uncollectible, Kim says debt can still appear on your credit report and impact your score for up to seven years.

by Kandiss Edwards

October 11, 2024

Dayton Residents Arrested For Alleged Quitclaim Deed Scam

Protect your home from QuitClaim scams.

Dayton, Ohio, residents were arrested for allegedly scamming homeowners through a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) quitclaim scheme.

Diamond DeShawn Washington, 38, and Rosalyn Monique Johnson, 39, allegedly attempted to defraud homeowners by initiating a quitclaim sale on their homes. After a potential victim received an alert to the possible ownership transfer of their home, the Montgomery County prosecutor’s office opened an investigation.

Washington and Johnson were indicted by a grand jury, Dayton Daily News reported. The defendants face multiple charges, including: engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, forgery, tampering with government records, grand theft, and telecommunications fraud.

Washington and Johnson are accused of enacting this scam on three unsuspecting homeowners using the LLC “Love Has Homes LLC.”

The business claims to generate $20,000 annually, according to Buzzfile. The LLC is described as, “Real Estate Investors, except Property Operators business/industry within the Holding and Other Investment Offices sector.” The company reports a $20,000 annual income and employs two individuals.

While quitclaim deed transfers are not illegal, they are not the proper way to gain ownership of a home. The homeowner’s signature is required to complete the deed transfer. Washington and Johnson are accused of forging homeowner names to transfer ownership to Love Have Homes LLC. The alleged fraud was uncovered by the homeowner’s proactive action.

Owners can register for alerts to protect their property proactively. Many states offer Filing Activity Notification Services (FANS) as a means of protection. Registering for a FAN through a local county clerk’s office allows mortgagees to receive notice when any action is taken on their property.

According to Fox 5, the scam’s goal is to either sell the dwelling, borrow against the home, or collect payments from the rightful owner of the house. The fraudulent owner must wait thirty days.

The FAN alert allows the rightful homeowner time to contact authorities and file an affidavit of title. This filing protects the homeowner’s rights and stops fraudulent activity from progressing.