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The suit alleges that Dana Chanel, whose real name is Casey Olivera, and co-owners of the four businesses named "misled consumers and failed to deliver goods and services as promised."
“Dana Chanel built a following online by presenting herself as a black woman-owned small business success story,” Shaprio said. “She advertised the products of her companies as a way for other black small business owners to achieve what she did. Then, she ripped off the same community she claimed to care about.”
Chanel uses her sizable platform on social media to promote many products, including credit repair services offered by Credit Exterminators Inc., later rebranded as Earn Company, LLC, and mobile app development services through Alakazam Apps, LLC, Shapiro said in a news release.
She apparently co-owns and operates Credit Exterminators/Earn Company with her sister, Cassandra April Olivera, and runs Alakazam Apps with her father, Nakia Rattray.
The suit alleges how one consumer, who runs a non profit, paid Alakazam Apps $2,000 believing she would work directly with them to bring a custom app to life. T'he woman never received an app from Alakazam and contacted the company more than ten times via phone but never received a response or a refund, the suit says.
The suit also alleges how another consumer signed up with Credit Exterminators with the understanding that, as part of the services she paid for, Credit Exterminators would resolve delinquent credit accounts on her behalf.
Chanel did not immediately return Daily Voice's request for comment.
Months after retaining Credit Exterminators, the consumer received a garnishment of wages letter from a creditor she believed Credit Exterminators had resolved, according to Shapiro. She received no refund or other relief and in total paid the company more than $2,000, the suit says.
Chanel has more than 760,000 Instagram followers and apparently is the founder of @sprinkleofjesus, an Instagram account touted as the "#1 Christian mobile app in the world." She also runs the @curlbible, apparently a product/company/online community for women with curly hair.
“It’s hard enough these days for workers in Philadelphia," Shapiro said.
"We can’t have bad actors breaking the law and making it even harder for folks to resolve their bad credit or keep their small businesses afloat.”
Consumers who feel they were victimized by Alakazam Apps, Credit Exterminators, and/or Earn Company are encouraged to file a complaint at www.attorneygeneral.gov/submit-a-complaint or contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555 or scams@attorneygeneral.gov.
The lawsuit was filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas by Deputy Attorney General Debra Djupman Warring.
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