Posted on Thursday, 26th August 2010 by Eden Fryett
On the website for her popular Beverly Hills skin care salon, Gabriela Perez is described as the “Michelangelo of skin care.” Her treatments are just about as expensive as one of the renaissance artist’s works, starting at $500 for a consultation, and going upwards of $5,000 for more advanced treatments.
However, what is more expensive than her treatments is her alleged penchant for unauthorized use of her celebrity clients’ credit cards.
CNN reports that the California spa owner has charged at least $280,000 to her clients’ credit cards. Liv Tyler is the major victim to the tune of $214,000 charged to her American Express Card.
Jewelry designer Loree Rodkin was the first to report the possible crime to federal investigators, alleging “Perez fraudulently charged numerous times on her Visa credit card from the studio.”
“Numerous times” added up to about $86,000 in charges, which Perez’s lawyer tried to settle by offering Rodkin $25,000 in skin care services.
KTLA provides the names of other high-end clients who were scammed by the high-end salon owner, including Jennifer Aniston, Melanie Griffith, Anne Hathaway, and Scott Speedman. After paying for services at the studio, extra charges would appear on the celebrity’s credit card statements.
According to CBS, the cards were not swiped, but rather the numbers on the cards were entered manually, which means that Perez was saving the numbers and then reentering them into her payment system after her clients left the office, hoping they would not notice the charges.
Perez has been arrested on two counts of fraud, and if convicted, could face up to 25 years in prison. Fortunately, none of her victims are facing chapter bankruptcy.
This isn’t her first run in with the law, though. Perez has previously been arrested for shoplifting and writing checks with insufficient funds. Perez’s attorney says that she will be cleared of all charges.
Two major credit card lessons you can learn from your favorite celebrities here?
- Know what you’ve spent on your credit card and actually check your statement every month. Too many people just check to see what the balance is and send in a check. Being sure that your statement is correct is the first step to fixing anything that’s wrong. Online banking can help you check the charges on your card more often, since you won’t have to wait for your monthly statement.
- If a charge does seem off, or if you suspect someone is using your credit card without your permission report it immediately and cancel the card! You will not be charged for the purchases the thief makes, so alert your credit card company immediately, and let them begin investigating the possible fraud.
The bottom line: Know where your money is going, no matter how much you pay for skin care.
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Tags: Salon, Salon Owner
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