Ten Months of "Scalp Detoxification" at a Hair Salon Cost 930,000 Yuan—What Happened to This Elderly Woman Living Alone in Her 60s?

A bank statement revealed a hidden “secret” of a 60-year-old elderly woman living alone for ten months — from February to December 2025, she repeatedly spent over 930,000 yuan at a community barber shop downstairs.

During this year’s “3.15” Consumer Rights Day, Dongfang Net widely collected consumer rights violation clues. Among many tips received, this was the only case not reported by the victim herself but by a family member on her behalf. In some consumer disputes, elderly people, due to lack of understanding, do not even realize they have been deceived — this indicates that the hidden “silver hair traps” are far more numerous than we see.

Starting with a “headache,” a million-yuan “detox” journey

Mr. Cheng told reporters that in early January this year, he accidentally learned that his mother-in-law was borrowing money everywhere. After noticing something unusual, he checked her accounts and found that her bank deposits under multiple accounts had nearly run out. Further investigation traced nearly one million yuan to a barber shop called “Yaye Salon” downstairs.

“She is nearly 70 years old, lives alone, and has no pension,” Mr. Chen provided bank statements showing that the elderly woman had several large fixed deposits that were prematurely withdrawn, and even sold a Rolex watch worth nearly 200,000 yuan for only 80,000 yuan. “She just sold it in the morning, and the money was in the barber shop’s account by the afternoon.”

Only after questioning did Mr. Cheng learn that all this stemmed from a casual chat about her “headache.” According to his mother-in-law, last year she confided in a staff member at the barber shop about her headache. The staff then claimed there was a “toxins detection device” upstairs that could test her. On the second floor, the staff pointed to the device screen and said her head was full of “toxins,” and without detoxification, she could face hospitalization or even life-threatening situations. They also told her that “a previous customer who didn’t detox recently passed away.”

“From an initial scalp detox costing two or three thousand yuan, to later full-body detox for liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and more, with a single session reaching up to 100,000 yuan,” Mr. Cheng said. A recording of the staff communicating with his mother shows a male staff member describing “toxins,” “nodules,” and “poisonous bumps.”

The staff repeatedly told his mother, “Don’t tell the family kids, they don’t understand.” Mr. Cheng learned from his mother-in-law that the barber shop had a young technician named “A Wang” who frequently visited, bringing fruits and running errands, establishing a close emotional connection with her.

Mr. Cheng admitted to reporters that after this incident, he and his wife reflected on their own lack of concern for the elderly. “We, as younger generations, care too little about our elders. When they can’t get emotional support from family, they seek it elsewhere. We hope everyone can learn from us and pay more attention to the elderly.”

Undercover report: Staff promote “excreting acidic blockages,” detection device years out of date

In early March, the reporter visited Yaye Salon as a consumer. During a shampoo, a staff member actively promoted a scalp care service claiming it could “excrete acidic substances” blocking the scalp, which, if left untreated, could cause folliculitis and scalp pain. The reporter was then guided to the second floor for further explanation.

On March 13, Ms. Xia, the administrative head of Shanghai Yaye Beauty & Hairdressing Co., Ltd., and Mr. Wang, the aromatherapy manager, were interviewed. The company’s business license shows it offers barbering and beauty services, with no medical services.

Regarding the claims of “detox” and “acidic substances” heard during the undercover visit, Mr. Wang denied them outright. “We don’t say that,” he said. “We didn’t mention ‘acidic substances,’ only the stratum corneum of the scalp.”

When asked about the “acidic substances” written on the wall upstairs, he said it was from “many years ago, due to inadequate self-inspection, and we are currently rectifying it.”

Interestingly, when the reporter pointed out that the device in the testing report provided by Ms. Xia was expired, she explained, “The device isn’t broken, so we haven’t replaced it,” emphasizing that “all our equipment is compliant and legal,” and all consumer transactions were signed off by the elderly.

Ms. Xia also showed a testing report indicating the device was past its expiration date. She stated they would compensate 20,000 yuan out of “humanitarian concern,” noting, “She spent 900,000 yuan here, and we always have several senior technicians serving her, bringing her favorite fruits and meals. If every consumer demanded a refund afterward, we couldn’t run the business.”

She concluded by urging, “The government now supports the real economy. Please report honestly.”

Lawyer: Even with signatures, fraud or unconscionability can render contracts invalid

Li Weijie, partner at Shanghai Zhongdao Law Firm, explained that the core issue is the legal classification of the consumer behavior.

“If it can be proven that false facts were fabricated during the sale (such as ‘not detoxing will cause death’), then even if the elderly signed, the transaction may not be legally valid,” Li said. Such behavior could constitute fraud. Even if fraud cannot be proven, the nearly one million yuan spent far exceeds normal beauty service prices and constitutes “gross unfairness,” allowing consumers to revoke the contract.

If an elderly person is found to have a mental disorder or lack civil capacity, their signature could also be deemed invalid.

“In simple terms, ‘gross unfairness’ isn’t just ‘being at a disadvantage,’ but ‘suffering a loss that shouldn’t happen,’ especially when it’s a ‘deliberate setup to cause loss,’” Li explained. “‘Gross unfairness’ in law refers to a situation where one party, at the time of contract formation, exploits the other’s predicament, lack of judgment, or inexperience, leading to a severe imbalance that blatantly violates fairness principles.”

Furthermore, the store’s business scope is only “beauty and hairdressing,” yet it conducts “detox” projects with “testing” and “treatment” functions. If these involve medical diagnosis, they could be investigated for illegal medical practice.

In addition to reporting to the media, Mr. Cheng also filed a complaint with the market supervision department.

After an on-site inspection, the department stated that while they understand the consumer behavior was indeed unreasonable, “there is a lack of some key evidence at this stage. We will continue to follow up and suggest Mr. Cheng pursue legal channels.” Mr. Cheng said he plans to appeal, “No matter how much we recover, I want to hold them accountable and ensure they face the proper punishment.” The shop previously offered a “humanitarian compensation” of 20,000 yuan, which Mr. Cheng explicitly refused.

As of press time, the store remains open and operating normally.

Dongfang Net will continue to follow this case.

Journalist’s note:

Mr. Cheng’s mother-in-law still doesn’t believe she was deceived.

This is the most difficult aspect of elderly consumer rights protection — they trust those who show daily concern, believe in scare tactics like “not detoxing will cause illness,” and even when questioned by their children, their first reaction is to cover for the business. Limited understanding and emotional needs make them easy targets for unscrupulous merchants.

Exploiting the emotional vulnerability and health anxieties of the elderly to scam money is the cruelest form of predation on the vulnerable, and it erodes the trust in consumer markets in an aging society.

Therefore, when the company representative told us during the interview, “The country is now supporting the real economy, and journalists should report fairly and justly,” I couldn’t help but speak out.

Promoting consumption is a key focus of macroeconomic policy. The government work report this year emphasizes “stimulating market vitality and activating offline consumption,” as well as “strengthening consumer rights protection.” Boosting consumption isn’t just about encouraging businesses to improve operations; it’s also a “hard requirement” for maintaining integrity. A healthy market should allow everyone, including the elderly, to shop with confidence. Creating a market environment where people dare to spend is an essential part of promoting consumption.

Preventing incidents like Mr. Cheng’s mother-in-law falling into these “silver hair traps” requires ongoing attention and joint efforts from society: more greetings from children, more reminders from communities, proactive regulation, and media exposure of such cases. Every exposure lights a lamp for the next potential victim.

Reporter: Chen Lina

Source: Dongfang Net