What is a “beauty bandit?”  According to news from msnbc, it’s a person who skips out on their bill for cosmetic treatments.  Surgeons and dermatologists across the country have reported this type of theft, leading some to theorize about the economic reasons for it.

“Because the economy is bad, these women who are used to getting these treatments will now get them whatever way then can,” says Dr Shino Bay Aguilera to reporters for msnbc.  Other doctors quoted for the story agree and say they now collect payment before administering outpatient, non-surgical procedures.

How do these cosmetic criminals pull it off?  They either write a fraudulent check or simply waltz out the door.  The woman in south Florida featured in the story left her purse on the front desk as a diversion, making the staff believe she was walking to a nearby ATM and would return to get the purse.  Of course, she never did and now likely faces criminal charges for theft.

Dr. Samir Pancholi a facial plastic surgeon in Las Vegas, says this has happened in his office on 3 different occasions: “The first time, it was a woman in her 50s who came in and got treatment, then said, ‘My purse is in the car, I’ll go grab it and be right back.’ Then she was gone.”