Y’all, this #NPR story is wild! It exposes a high-pressure sales scheme where a "free skincare sample" lures shoppers into spending thousands of dollars on expensive, non-returnable products.

NPR's investigation by Monika Evstatieva and Caley Fox Shannon traced the independently operated stores to Mazal Group, an Israeli and California based company. #Mazal Group controls numerous skincare brands sold across different store names and owners.

Over a decade ago, federal agents investigated similar "credit card overcharge schemes" tied to these brands, which also involved immigration and money-laundering crimes and led to more than a dozen guilty pleas. Despite this history, the sales tactics persist nationwide
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/14/nx-s1-6000621/mazal-group-investigation-documentary