7 Tips That Clinic or Spa Can Use To Avoid Being Ripped Off By Botox Bandits
There is a disturbing new scam that is hurting American cosmetic clinics and medical spas. What is this disturbing new trend? Well, the newly coined term for individuals running these scams is “Botox Bandits.”
These so called “Botox Bandits” order thousands of dollars of Botox injection treatments, hyaluronic acid injections and other expensive cosmetic procedures and then they bolt from the clinic or spa without paying for the cosmetic treatments. There have been anecdotal stories of these types of occurrences from spas and clinics around the United States. These stories are becoming more and more common.
With the United States slipping into a recession, discretionary income for Botox treatments is going to become less readily available. This may be a time when more people try these desparate measures to obtain their Botox injections.
Although Botox treatments are the most common treatments “stolen” by Botox bandits, hyaluronic acid dermal filler treatments such as Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm, and Sculptra are also commonly ripped off. These Botox bandits could also be called Restylane Bandits or Juvederm Bandits.
How can you protect your business from Botox bandits?
Here are 7 easy-to-follow tips that your clinic or spa can use to avoid being ripped off by Botox bandits:
It is very important to take these steps with any new or unfamiliar clients. Established clients are less likely to be a Botox bandit.
1. If feasible, your business should ask for payment before the cosmetic procedure is preformed, or at bare minimum ask for a percentage of payment upfront. This is becoming a common practice, especially for businesses offering high-cost services such as cosmetic procedures.
2. In the majority of these scams the Botox bandits use a fake name. Therefore, simply ask for detailed patient information and require at least two pieces of identification from a State or Federal institution, such as a birth certificate or a State driver’s license. These two pieces of ID should have at least one photo of the individual and a signature that you can compare to a signature that you require on your forms.
3. Before the procedure, ask the client to give you a credit card to have on file. This way if anyone tries to bolt without paying you can simply charge the credit card. Make sure you see the physical credit card itself and that the name and signature on the card match those of the client. You may even want to preauthorize payment before the Botox or dermal filler procedure.
4. Install closed circuit surveillance cameras in your reception area. These video tapes may be helpful in identifying scam artists after the fact. They may also discourage Botox bandits from trying to scam your business in the first place. This may seem like an expensive option but you could recoup your costs of a video surveillance system by simply preventing one case of Botox treatment theft.
5. Buy a digital camera and take a picture of all your clients before their procedure for the purposes of “before and after” photos. Explain that it is simply a standard part of Botox treatments at your clinic. If the client is unwilling to have a photo taken then take extra precautions. One case of Botox treatment theft in Scottsdale, AZ was brought to a conviction because the clinic took “before and after” photos.
6. A common after-procedure tactic used by these Botox Bandits is to say that they need to go outside to their vehicle to get their wallet or credit card or for some other reason. They then simply jump in their vehicles and drive away. Simply being aware of this tactic can be helpful. If you have taken the steps above it would be surprising for someone to still attempt to rip your business off.
7. If you have had someone drive off without paying for their procedure, call police right away. It is believed that many cosmetic clinic owners are not reporting these incidences. However, police do take these cases seriously, especially if you have taken steps that protect your business and that can help the police, such as photographing the individual before and after the procedure.
It is sometimes difficult to take these types of steps without alienating clients or making them feel like a potential criminal. However, if your staff members are trained to convey the reasons for the above requirements eloquently to your clients, most people are more than willing to comply. It is the clients who are not willing to comply that you need to concern yourself with anyways.