Employee At Burlington Mall Accused Of $500K Jewelry Store Refund Scam

BURLINGTON, MA — A Boston woman who worked at a Burlington Mall jewelry store was arrested after being accused of running a scam in which she refunded $547,187 worth of store merchandise to her own credit card, the Burlington Police Department said.

Police said they believe the suspect then used the money to buy a car, flights, expensive hotel stays and designer accessories.

Ariel Foster, 19, who is a student at Lasell University in Auburndale, has been charged with larceny over $1,200, police said.

Authorities said Foster was taken into custody without incident on Wednesday at her college dormitory. She was released on bail and is expected to be arraigned Friday in Woburn District Court, the Burlington PD said.

According to police reports, on Feb. 22, Burlington Police detectives were called to Lovisa, a jewelry store at the mall, located at 75 Middlesex Turnpike, after a report of a credit card machine breach.

The Burlington PD said it conducted an investigation and learned that on three dates in February, items scanned at the store's register had their price increased, and the cost of the item was then refunded to a credit card belonging to the suspect. The department said there had been eight transactions involving $547,187.

Police said a subpoena was served to Foster's financial institutions, which uncovered a refund transaction from Lovisa America LLC into her bank account.

Authorities said that Foster's bank records showed that she had spent more than $35,000 for a Tesla, paid $6,000 to Delta Airlines, spent more than $20,000 at a Maui, Hawaii hotel, and made $5,000 in purchases from Louis Vuitton.

Burlington police said that on Wednesday, its officers, Boston police and Lasell University police executed a search warrant of Foster's dormitory at Lasell University. That's when the suspect was arrested, according to authorities.