{
  "id": 11419269,
  "title": "S'pore hair studio, caught for buying fake reviews, says staff did so 'independently' to earn more incentives",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/spore-hair-studio-caught-for-buying-fake-reviews-says-staff-did-so",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-02T10:58:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/10/spore-hair-studio-fake-reviews/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Picasso Hair Studio, a Singapore hair salon with locations in Bugis and Novena, has come forward after admitting to purchasing fake reviews. The revelation came following an investigation by the Competition & Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS), which found that the studio was among 45 businesses implicated in the practice. According to Picasso Hair Studio, the decision to buy fake reviews was made by individual staff members, not the entire team, in an attempt to earn additional incentives. The studio explained that part of their staff incentive system was based on a 50/50 split of sales performance and positive customer reviews. This meant that stylists were encouraged to receive genuine feedback through high-quality service. However, a few staff members allegedly chose to circumvent this system by procuring reviews independently, which was never the intended outcome of the incentive scheme. The hair salon expressed regret over the incident and has since taken measures to prevent any future occurrences. These measures include terminating any employee found to have purchased fake reviews immediately, and issuing warning letters to staff members previously involved. The studio has also removed four fake reviews so far and is working towards having the remaining ones removed as well.",
  "summary": "They have also removed four fake reviews so far, and are working on getting the remainder removed as well.",
  "key_points": [
    "Picasso Hair Studio admitted to buying fake reviews.",
    "Individual staff members, not the whole team, purchased reviews.",
    "Studio changed incentive system to prevent future fake review purchases."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}