Salon owners warn about woman who they say skipped out on bill for high-end services

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two salon owners are warning about a scammer who recently targeted their businesses.

She makes an appointment to get her hair done, and while she's still in the chair with her cape on, she asks if she can step outside to feed the meter, but she never returns to pay for her service.

Blow Dryers, busy stylists, and chairs filled with paying clients; it's what most days look like at Base Salon in the West Loop.

But owner Krysta Rojas says last Friday she was scammed by one of those customers.

"She said she was going to go pay her meter, left with the cape on and the clip – I think to make it more believable that she was coming back," Krysta Rojas said.

But that client never came back. After sitting for about five hours of expensive services, the woman walked out on the bill, which was upwards of $1,200, according to Rojas.

"Yes, pretty high-end service," she said. "I feel like people oftentimes think they can take advantage of small businesses."

Rojas said video she coincidentally recorded inside the salon that day shows the woman before she bailed.

Determined to find out the identity of the scammer, Rojas turned to social media and found who she believes is responsible 

"I went through her page, and saw she was at another salon that looked familiar, which happened to be my friend's salon – Salon 833," Rojas said.

The video posted to the woman's own social media shows her in a cape with the logo of different salon – Salon 833 in River West.

"She did the same thing to us," Salon 833 owner Lisa Caputo said. "Towards the end of her service — her color was finished completely, started to blow dry – that's when the client asked if she could go pay her meter."

Caputo said the ruse was used on her salon in May.

"Financially, yeah it hurts us," Caputo said.

CBS 2 spoke to the woman accused of stiffing both salons

"I've completely seen all that on social media, and like I said earlier, my lawyer advised me not to make any comments going forward, because at this point we're definitely going to take legal action with a letter of cease and desist," she said.

Asked if her accusers are wrong, the woman said, "again, my lawyer advised me..."

Now both self-made small businesses owners are warning others. 

"This wasn't given to me. I worked really hard. No one gave me anything when I built this from the ground up," Rojas said. "If you want nice things, you should work for them."

Caputo and Rojas both said they've filed police reports. They also said a third salon canceled an upcoming appointment with the suspected scammer, after hearing about the situation on social media.

CBS 2 is not naming the accused scammer, because she has not been charged with a crime.