An underground network of illegal and unlicensed tattooists is blighting the lives of vulnerable victims across Tayside and Fife, The Courier can reveal.
An estimated 30 so-called “scratchers” are operating in Dundee, often with cheap, faulty and unsafe equipment.
Dozens more are known to be plying their trade in Fife, Angus, Perthshire and Stirling.
Their attempts at tattooing are leaving a devastating legacy of physical scarring and psychological torment and exposing their customers to potentially deadly diseases.
Using social media and word of mouth, they are also targeting underage teenagers, who are exposing themselves to cheap and hazardous ink-work which can cost thousands of pounds to repair.
Licensed tattooist Phil Davidson, of Dundee’s Metalurgey parlour, said: “People get a home tattoo done and we see them in three months’ time in tears with something scrawled on them.
“Then we hit them with the bill for how much it will be to get it lasered off and cover-up work.We’ll then tell them to go to a doctor.”
Detective Chief Inspector Iain Wales of Police Scotland said the scratchers are becoming increasingly hard to track down.
He said: “It’s really just through word of mouth amongst the young people and then social media.Somebody will post a picture and say ‘Here’s my new tattoo’ on Facebook and that’s how it goes. It’s being done underground.
“It makes it difficult to police because we’re quite limited what we can do looking at people’s social media pages, because you are intruding into people’s private lives.”
This week, The Courier will unveil the extent of the danger posed by these unlicensed amateurs who prey on youngsters and leave them scarred for life.
See the first part of our investigation in Tuesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.