Instagram scam sends tattoo customers to random woman's Southfield home

Instagram tattoo scam sends strangers to Southfield woman's home

Tionna Crawford says over the last week, a dozen strangers showed up to her house, with an odd request.

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Southfield woman says an online scammer is taking money for tattoo orders in advance, then sending the victims to her house. She's not an ink artist and has no idea who is behind it.

"Karma, Karma coming for you," said Tionna Crawford.

And you can put that in ink.

Tionna says over the last week, a dozen strangers showed up to her house, with an odd request.

"They wanted a tattoo, and I knew that was a joke," she said.

It was no joke.

"They were approaching me and (said) ‘Hi I have an appointment at 3:30.’ And I'm like, no you don’t, I think you have the wrong address," Tionna said.

She found out from one of the unwanted visitors that the culprit, was someone posing as a traveling tattoo artist, named Krissy Inkways on Instagram.

"They'll reach out and say I need it, and she will say DM me," Crawford said.

That’s when the person claiming to be Krissy Inkways – asked for a $50 deposit, once sent she sends them to Tionna’s Southfield home.

"No, I don't recognize the actual Instagram person but people can be anybody," she said.

Last year, FOX 2 told you about the very same scheme which surfaced. Doorbell footage from an Oak Park woman’s home who like Tionna, was turning customers away after they were asking for tattoos.

It’s unclear if it’s the same person behind the bogus account. The scheme cooked up on Instagram.

Southfield Police are investigating the situation but what needs to happen next for anything criminal, is that the folks that actually paid the $50 and showed up to Tionna’s door, need to file police reports.

Tionna sounded the alarm – about the scam, in part – for her own safety.

"Don't show up to a residence, and you don't know what it’s about, that’s pretty dangerous on both sides," she said.