Walking through a typical American mall, a cheerful representative may hand you a complimentary vial of cream and ask about your handbag. The encounter feels harmless—until the checkout line reveals a completely different story. Investigations have uncovered a nationwide pattern where such “free” samples serve as bait for high-priced, non-refundable skincare packages that leave victims with bills ranging from a few hundred dollars to well over $100,000.
High-price cases across the country
In Michigan, an elderly man suffering from dementia was billed $42,000 for a combination of creams and devices after a salesperson convinced him a free sample was a trial. His family only noticed the problem when his credit score plummeted. Far to the south, a New Mexico spa employee sold a woman a $30,000 red-light therapy unit and later added $78,000 in purported “sales tax” without her consent. A Hawaiian disabled woman was ushered into a back room for a “free” facial; the attendant kept her walker, detained her for hours, and walked away with $2,600 in unwanted products. Similar incidents have been reported in Ann Arbor, Michigan (a $5,000 purchase for an elderly mother), Manhattan Beach, California (an 82-year-old wheelchair user accrued $53,500 in charges), and many other malls from Honolulu to Annapolis.
The business model behind the stalls
All of the implicated locations sell products supplied by the Mazal Group a California-based family operation that controls dozens of brands, including Voupre, Orogold Cosmetics, and others. The group mandates that its licensees sell items at steep markups and adhere to a strict “no refunds” policy printed on receipts. Products often arrive without price tags, allowing salespeople to negotiate “special” deals and toss in “free gifts” to justify astronomical totals. A lab test commissioned by investigators raised doubts about whether some creams contain the advertised active ingredients, suggesting the claims on the label may be misleading.
Brand network and pricing tactics
The family behind Mazal Group—Daphna and Eli Weingarten, along with brother Avihu and ex-spouse Adi Sharvit—own the entire supply chain, from design to warehouse fulfillment. Their contracts with independent store owners require a final-sale clause that legally prevents buyers from contesting charges after signing a tablet at checkout. In many complaints, shoppers reported that the sales associate added a zero to the quoted price, turning $1,300 into $13,000, or claimed a declined card while secretly charging a second card.
Legal and regulatory response
State attorneys general, the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Better Business Bureau have received more than 500 complaints. In New Mexico, Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued the Santa Fe Spa Center by Voupre for violating the Unfair Practices Act, resulting in a $350,000 restitution settlement in 2025. Similar lawsuits have been filed in Michigan and Hawaii, though arrests remain rare. Federal investigations also uncovered a parallel scheme in which some kiosk operators employed young Israelis on tourist visas to sell the products, leading to over a dozen guilty pleas for visa fraud and money-laundering. Although the U.S. Visa Waiver Program’s 2023 expansion eased entry for such workers, the government has not pursued new charges in the past decade.
Victims describe the experience as feeling “robbed” or “held hostage,” with many hiding the ordeal from family for months. While some credit-card companies have refunded portions of the debt, countless individuals remain responsible for thousands of dollars. The pattern of aggressive pressure, hidden fees, and impossible refunds illustrates a modern incarnation of the “credit-card overcharge scheme” first flagged by federal agents a decade ago, now thriving in malls from Honolulu to Annapolis.
