Mall kiosks across the United States have been engaged in a modus operandi, recently uncovered by Diplomat News and amplified by several mainstream outlets, involving Israeli nationals – often with IDF ties – conducting cosmetic and skincare kiosks targeting elderly grandmothers.
This modus operandi has been observed in malls not only in Florida, Texas, and California but also in New York, Nevada, Arizona, and surrounding states. Similar kiosks have been noted to travel from state to state, following the same pattern.
However, it should be noted that not only malls have witnessed such activity – an NPR multi-state investigation uncovered cosmetic store chains targeting seniors, utilising the same products and customer-coercion tactics as the kiosks, with stores ranging from ‘Forever Flawless’, ‘Orogold’, ‘Seacret’, and other brands under the umbrella of the California-based distributor Mazal Group – owned by an Israeli family. In Michigan, New Mexico, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland, and California, NPR investigated and found instances of elderly and disabled customers being lured, coerced, detained, and extorted of tens of thousands of dollars before being released.
The kiosks and stores sell Dead Sea cosmetics, anti-ageing creams, nail buffers, ‘miracle serums’, and other overpriced goods. Many of the employees are reported to be arriving in the U.S. on B‑2 tourist visas or E‑2 investor visas (which technically prohibit employment). Diplomat News and other outlets have reported that Israeli recruiters are responsible for bringing in these employees and funnelling them into kiosk networks or mall stores, where they are replaced every few months. The kiosks and stores are frequently registered under shell LLCs, sometimes with innocuous-sounding names concealing connections to their owners. One LLC may control kiosks in three or four malls in two different states.
Specific malls where cases have been reported include:
Aventura Mall (Florida) — multiple complaints filed with mall security about aggressive kiosk operators grabbing elderly shoppers’ hands.
Galleria Dallas (Texas) — a grandmother reported being charged $480 for a “Dead Sea serum” after being pressured for 20 minutes.
Fashion Show Mall (Las Vegas, Nevada)—kiosks shut down overnight after visa violations were reported, then reopened under a new LLC name two weeks later.
Westfield Topanga (California) — local news documented kiosk workers on tourist visas selling $20 products for $300+.
Queens Centre Mall (New York) — elderly shoppers reported being followed and pressured to buy “miracle eye cream”.
And NPR documented brick-and-mortar mall store cases such as the following:
Michigan — an elderly man with dementia charged $42,000 inside a store.
New Mexico — a woman taken to a back room of a store and charged $30,000 plus a fake $78,000 “tax”.
Hawaii — a disabled woman’s walker taken; she was held for hours until she paid $2,600.
Virginia & Maryland — NPR reporters visited stores and witnessed aggressive sales tactics firsthand.
The sales pitch is always the same. They target older women walking by themselves. The worker approaches them and asks for a compliment or offers a free sample. Then they convince the customer that she has a skin problem: her skin is dry, sun-damaged, or uneven. After that, the worker tries to sell the cream at a discount because it is usually hundreds or thousands of ILS. The cost of the cream is much lower than the price customers are asked to pay.
Victim quotes reported in local news include:
“He grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. I felt trapped.” — Aventura Mall, FL
“She kept saying she was a soldier and needed the sale. I didn’t want to be rude.” — Galleria Dallas, TX
“I got home and realised I paid $399 for lotion. I cried.” — Westfield Topanga, CA
“They told me I had ‘severe sun damage’ and needed treatment. I’m 82. I trusted them.” — Queens Centre Mall, NY
They literally kidnapped and held people hostage:
“They locked the door behind me. I didn’t know how to get out.” — Michigan
“They took me into a back room and kept swiping my card.” — New Mexico
“They took my walker so I couldn’t leave.” — Hawaii
The worker may also use emotional manipulation. He or she may say that they are far from home, in financial difficulties, or that they have served in the Israel Defence Forces. This is designed to manipulate the victim and gain trust. In the end, the worker will lead the customer to the cash register and charge their card without their consent. Few women understand that they have been deceived when they see the charge on their phone.
Diplomat News magazine has exposed the scam; however, local news channels have also been investigating. There were reports of seniors being charged $300 to $500 for goods worth $20 in Florida. Kiosks in Texas grabbed a grandma’s hand and refused to release it until she bought their “special offer.” In California, reporters found out that kiosk employees in mall shops were working illegally on tourist visas. In Nevada, it was reported that kiosks in malls went out of business one night due to complaints, only to open the next day under a different LLC in another mall. Meanwhile, NPR’s investigation found out that these kiosks are just the tip of the iceberg, as there are networks of similar stores using even more sinister tactics to scam seniors out of thousands of dollars.
The issue is that regulatory oversight is minimal when it comes to kiosks in malls and other shopping centres. The FTC does not have jurisdiction over cosmetics, and mall management does not want to lose the revenue from these stores. Fraud units do not want to take action against such scams, arguing that they should be handled at the state level. Visa violations are not pursued either (where is ICE concerning these fraudsters preying upon seniors?!), allowing illegal employment practices to flourish. Because of this, networks of kiosk organisers and mall store owners continue to operate with impunity, using a rotating staff of employees and changing their business locations. It is a well-organised kiosk-and-store industry of Israeli origin run by the IDF, employing coercive and fraudulent tactics towards senior Americans in an effort to rob them of life savings. This type of scam continues to this day, plaguing malls throughout the country. This is everywhere we go, and wherever we look, these people bring their filthy business practices.
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📽️ Credit: Alexa Rose RN
