Scammers Are Using Stolen Credit Card Information to Try to Dupe Boston-Area Businesses

There's a new scam warning out for Boston area art galleries and small businesses selling high-priced items.

A fine art photographer who was the victim of a scam is sounding the alarm to keep it from happening to others.

Christoper Bofolli is a Worcester native, who now lives in Seattle. He has made a name for himself with his unique fine art photographs featuring miniatures posed against real food landscapes. www.bigappetites.net

In December, a man purchased three of his pieces from a Boston gallery using Apple Pay with what turned out to be  stolen credit card information.

 “And then he called the gallery back the next day and he canceled two of the three pieces,” explained Boffoli.   “And the scam is that he wants the refund to be directed to different credit card numbers that he controlled.  And the gallery didn't do that. What you're supposed to do, I think, is what he did. Issue the refunds with the transaction numbers, so it sort of foiled the whole plan.”

Boffoli is sharing his story to warn others.

“There's a good chance he's still working in the Boston area doing that,” said Boffoli.   “So, I would love if businesses would be on the lookout for this guy just so they don't get scammed it the same way that we were scammed.”

Unfortunately, he did not learn that the purchases were made with stolen credit card information until weeks after the sale.  And one of Boffoli’s photographs, called Champagne Scuba, had been shipped to Denver. He is out the cost of that photo and has an open police case there. 

He says the fraudster told a convincing story that he was an art collector consulting with nightclubs in Miami and that he was very persuasive.

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