Celebrity Credit Card Fraud: Jennifer Aniston and Anne Hathaway
Posted August 24th, 2010 and last modified October 17th, 2011
Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Anne Hathaway have been a victim of a credit card fraud committed by the owner of a ritzy beauty spa.
Credit card fraud can happen to anyone. Perpetrators do not distinguish their victims by age, occupation, race or income. So long as the opportunity is there, they strike. But this particular scammer seems to have it in for her celebrity clients. The odd thing with this is scammers aren’t distinguished by age, occupation, race or income either.
Take Beverly Hills salon owner Maria Gabriella Perez. Owner of the prestigious and swanky “Chez Gabriela Spa”, Perez catered to stars like Jennifer Aniston and Anne Hathaway. She saw to the upkeep of their hair, skin and other cosmetic concerns. The basic service starts at US$300 for a facial.
You’d think that Perez would have it made, but she was recently arrested by the U.S. Secret Service for allegedly running fake charges on the credit card accounts of these actresses, including Liv Tyler, Penelope Cruz, Melanie Griffith and jewelry designer Lorree Rodkin.
Charging for Extra Services
The scam was discovered when Tyler’s management company found charges running up to $214,000 made by the salon to the actress’ American Express cards. Rodkin filed two counts of fraud against Perez and in her affidavit, named the actresses as fellow victims. The designer’s attorney told investigators that her client was charged about US$68,000 and was offered $25,000 worth of products by Perez if Rodkin would drop the charges. The designer refused. Actress Cher was also named in the affidavit, but her representative clarified that the singer/actress was not a victim.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Wesley Hu explains the simplicity of the scam. After having legitimate services performed and paid for with credit cards, Perez would keep the information and run unauthorized charges on those accounts.
“I knew this would happen”
In an interview with “Good Morning America”, Jennifer Aniston mentioned that she stopped going to Perez’ establishment after a “situation that was not cool’ happened a few years back. The actress declined to give further details, but she “knew something like this would eventually happen.”
Perez’s attorney issued a rebuttal statement saying that the salon owner was not guilty of the crime. The statement reads that the spa is a legitimate business, and Perez will be exonerated of all charges.
The website for Chez Gabriella features photos of the actresses with handwritten testimonies and thank-you notes praising the salon owner for the great job she’s been giving.
In another news article, ABC News analyst and former FBI agent Brad Garret said the salon owner may have been relying on the fact that most celebrities would prefer not to press charges and be kept out of negative limelight. She may have been counting on brokering a negotiation should any of her clients would come complaining.
Former Los Angeles prosecutor Robin Sax said that celebrities often are the “ideal victims” of credit card fraud. They usually have large bills and often have other people working it out for them. Smaller amounts are not easily detected and can be chalked up to extra charges if noticed.
Practice Credit Card Safety
If credit card fraud can happen to these celebrities, it can happen to you. Take precautionary steps to ensure that your credit card information is safe and cannot be used by anyone by yourself. Here are some tips to help you.
- Keep your credit card within your sight at all times. If there are times when the card would leave your immediate vicinity, check your account transactions as soon as you can and report any suspicious activity.
- Always have a photocopy of your credit card, including the numbers of the folks you need to contact in case you run into trouble with your card.
- When dealing with online transactions, always make sure the site is using “https” on the URL. Shop only from trusted sites like Amazon or eBay if you can.
- Dispose of old credit cards properly by shredding or cutting them up.
- Do not place your personal information in your email account or any social networking site. They can be easily hacked and the information obtained can be used against you.
- Report any lost or stolen card immediately so the bank or credit card company can cancel it.
It’s easy to be a victim, yet it is also just as easy to prevent being one.
Protect yourself from loss, theft and identity crime
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- Cancel any affected credit cards or other financial cards (including cover from the time they were lost to the time you notified them, until the time they notify your banks etc.
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Image source: celebdirtylaundry.com
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Jennifer Aniston is so beautiful! shes so funny in friends and Marley and me! Shes a really good moviestar and role-model