Somerville Parking Lot Scam Causes Resident To Go To Battle With Bank: Report

A woman was approached by people in a grocery store parking lot asking for donations under false pretenses.

By Benjamin Pierce, no role

Apr 29, 2026 3:18 pm EDT | Updated Apr 29, 2026 3:23 pm EDT

SOMERVILLE, MA — A resident finally retrieved thousands of dollars she lost in a scam after a long and difficult process, according to a report from WCVB NewsCenter 5.

Ari Billias was in the parking lot of the Trader Joe’s grocery store on 145 Middlesex Ave. last October when she was approached by people soliciting for donations for victims of gun violence. After agreeing to give $20, Billias said her suspicions were aroused when the vendor took her credit card from her hand claiming there was a “processing issue” with the transaction.

Later that day, she discovered a pending charge to an unfamiliar PayPal account worth $5,000 from the card she used to make the donation. After opening a dispute with Bank of America, her claim was ultimately denied weeks later.

Billias insisted she had neither authorized a $5,000 charge nor interacted with the PayPal account involved, and had no history of making purchases anywhere near that amount. She presented evidence that she felt proved fraudulent activity, including how the merchant name kept constantly changing after the transaction was made, and how the transaction claimed it was an in-person purchase in Chicago, Illinois.

In three separate denials, Bank of America told Billias that her card had been swiped, PIN code entered, and signature provided for the purchase. According to Billias, the bank could not provide physical proof of the claim.

After filing a police report, Billias ultimately had her money returned.