Confection scam leaves sour taste
A sweet-talking candy scammer has been introducing herself as a "celebrity" assistant.
The scammer shouldn't be hard to spot: She's missing her front teeth and loves lollipops.
Two businesses near McCarran International Airport have taken recent telephone orders from a female caller who wanted to purchase large gift baskets for the celebrity she represented.
A confection shop on South Eastern Avenue got scammed for a $675 order by someone claiming to be boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s personal assistant. The caller said the chocolate-laden gift basket was for a birthday party for Mayweather's girlfriend.
When the plus-sized, dentally challenged woman arrived to pick up the order, her credit card charge went through OK but later was found to be invalid, said the store owner, who asked not to be identified.
A week later, the Cookie Zoo on East Sunset Road received an order from a woman who said she was putting together a birthday party for Oscar winner Halle Berry's daughter.
She was convincing until the end, said Whitey Whiteman, Cookie Zoo owner.
"She wanted 50 cookies individually wrapped, each with a $20 bill tied to the bag," Whiteman recalled.
When Whiteman matter-of-factly said, "Fine, just bring 'em (the $20 bills) with you when you pick 'em up," the phone went dead.
The scammer got away with 20 pounds of candy from the South Eastern Avenue store, mostly boxes of mixed chocolates, dipped marshmallows and custom lollipops. The woman didnt want ordinary lollipops: She wanted them to stick out.
"She asked us to add Louis Vuitton and Chanel logos on the lollipops," the store owner said.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
International DJ sensation deadmau5 teamed up with the Ultimate Fighting Championship this week for the launch of his video "Professional Griefers." The video is set in a post-apocalyptic octagon, with deadmau5 battling it out with Gerard Way, vocalist of My Chemical Romance. UFC octagon girl Arianny Celeste makes a guest appearance, and the UFC's Mike Goldberg plays a commentator. It's the latest example of how the UFC brand has gone mainstream to tap new audiences. ...
Rikki Cheese returned to the anchor desk Monday at KTNV-TV, Channel 13 for the 3:30 p.m. newscast with Steve Wolford. She has been with the station since 2003 as an anchor and reporter. She had been reporting since 2009, the year she was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. ...
Former Riviera entertainment director Tony Zoppi died last week in Dallas. He was 92. Zoppi was at the Riviera for 17 years, starting in 1965. He not only planned the wedding of Ann-Margret and Roger Smith but served as a groomsman. He was an entertainment columnist for The Dallas Morning News for years. ...
Correction: The CBS show "The Amazing Race," which will include Chippendales duo Jaymes Vaughn and James Davis, debuts Sept. 30. The series airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. (KLAS-TV, Channel 8).
SIGHTINGS
Catherine Zeta-Jones, shopping at Swarovski (Forum Shops at Caesars) on Thursday after lunch at Spago. ... Matt Damon, wearing a hat and glasses to "Kà" (MGM Grand) on Wednesday. Earlier this week he shot a breathtaking scene in front of a crowd at The LVH showroom for the HBO film "Behind The Candelabra." Damon, flamboyantly dressed and in character as Liberace's lover Scott Thorson, drove a vintage Rolls-Royce on the stage where Liberace entertained for years. It was a re-creation of Liberace's grand entrance. Michael Douglas, who plays Liberace, gloriously emerged from the car in a white furlike coat with a 16-foot train.
THE PUNCH LINE
"The Republican convention convened in Tampa. They're promising now to cut unpopular programs. I know they're talking about me." - David Letterman
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find additional sightings and more online at www.normclarke.com. Follow Norm on Twitter @Norm_Clarke.
