Authorities have detained a local college student for allegedly operating a credit card scam that resulted in over $500,000 in unauthorized charges.
Authorities have detained a local college student for allegedly operating a credit card scam that resulted in over $500,000 in unauthorized charges.
Larceny over $1,200 was alleged against 19-year-old Boston resident Ariel Foster.
According to Burlington Police, Foster used a complex credit card scheme to make extravagant expenditures at her job at Lovisa, a jewelry store, in the Burlington Mall during the month of February.
Officials say on three different occasions, Foster would scan products from the store and raise their prices. The price of the pricey item was reportedly then refunded to her credit card, where investigators discovered 8 transactions totaling $547,187 in business losses.
Police reported that Foster used this credit card scam between February 2 and February 22 to buy a $35,000 Tesla, nearly $6,000 in transactions with Delta Airlines, nearly $5,000 in Louis Vuitton purchases, and more than $20,000 for a hotel in Maui, Hawaii.
On Wednesday, a search order was carried out in her dorm room at Lasell University, and she was taken into custody without a delay.
“We are aware that a Lasell University student was arrested on Wednesday March 8th,” Lasell University’s statement said. “The responsibility of all students to comply with local, state, and federal laws applies both on and off-campus.”
Foster will be charged on Friday in Woburn District Court.