In a shocking incident that lasted just 13 seconds, a thief stole a single item from a spa in Southern California, resulting in a staggering loss of nearly $60,000 for the business owner. Ruthie Vartanian, owner of Snatch Me Up California Body Sculpting in Victorville, shared her devastation after the theft, which occurred on September 21.
Surveillance footage captured the moment a thief casually walked through the front door straight to the counter and snatched a POS machine, commonly used for credit card transactions. Days later, Vartanian discovered her bank account had been overdrawn by that same amount.
“I was heartbroken because this is our life savings,” said Vartanian, who quickly transferred all funds related to the stolen equipment from her U.S. bank account, hoping to prevent any further transactions by the thief. Initially, she assumed the thief would have trouble cashing out or refunding funds to customers using the stolen POS machine. However, she later learned that the thief could use the device to transfer money onto rechargeable prepaid credit cards, leaving no traceable transactions.
This isn’t the first incident of its kind. Two years ago, POS equipment was stolen from Grand Salon in Brea, Orange County, leading to a theft of approximately $40,000. Last year, Toronto police arrested a woman and recovered nearly 80 stolen POS devices from her possession.
Vartanian mentioned that her bank, U.S. Bank, expressed uncertainty about how to prevent or stop such new forms of crime. At first, they held her responsible for the lost funds. However, after the story gained media attention, the bank reached out to her and stated they were conducting a thorough investigation. Additionally, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is also looking into the case.
Since the robbery, Vartanian has taken extra precautions by bringing the POS machine home every night to avoid future thefts. Authorities suggest that small businesses should secure their bank accounts with strong passwords to enhance security.
