Police in Houston are currently dealing with a series of thefts that may or may not be related. Ten stores that sell hair in the Houston area in the last week have been robbed. It began with the theft of eleven wigs destined for a fancy spa event for women who have lost their own hair due to cancer treatment. Good news: donors have replaced those wigs.

The theft drew national news attention not just because some terrible person stole wigs bound for an event meant to make women with cancer feel better about their appearance. It was the surveillance camera footage from the store that made us notice the story.

The thief crawled in front of the camera, or maybe the proper word is “slithered.” He stayed low to the ground in order to avoid motion sensors, snatching only wigs that he could reach from down there. “He slid on his stomach and stole our wigs and slid back out the wall like a rat,” the store owner told TV station KHOU. (Warning: auto-play video)

Fortunately, as soon as stories about the theft hit the news, donors stepped up and replaced the wigs for the event at nonprofit organization Big C New Me.

However, the string of hair store thefts are worrisome. The owner of the first store hit has some useful consumer advice, though: don’t buy wigs, extensions, or weaves of questionable provenance. “Don’t buy hair out of a trunk,” she told the public. “That’ll stop all these kinds of break-ins.” That’s good advice for all kinds of products, not just hair.

Donors help replace stolen wigs in time for fundraiser [KHOU] (Warning: auto-play video)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.