Courtesy of Abegale Fernandes and Books by the Sea
CENTERVILLE – Residents are taking action to support a local business owner who was a victim of a credit card scam.
Books by the Sea at the Bell Tower Mall was the target of a scam that originated in October.
Thomas Phillips, owner of the Centerville bookstore, said a person claimed that they would pay for textbooks with a credit card. Three other orders by the same suspected person were placed later.
Chargeback freezes were then put in place on the funds involved in the transactions. Phillips lost appeals to release the funds, even after producing over 60 pages of documents, as the money used for the transactions was stolen.
The situation continued into November, a time Phillips considers the most challenging part of the year. Financial liquidity for the store’s operations was diminished as the holidays approached.
“As it turned out, I had to use personal funds to keep my store open, so I didn’t have to lay off my staff,” Phillips said.
Phillips reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Federal Trade Commission for help, along with other government services, all to no avail.
His insurance plan also did not cover the theft.
The Barnstable Police Department assigned a detective to his case. The IP address of the scammer showed that they were located in Nigeria.
Thousands of dollars were lost in the scam.
Recently, Phillips was made aware of an online effort to raise money for Books by the Sea. He’s thankful for the help that he and his store have received from local residents.
“I’ve just been overwhelmed since then by all the support that the community has done. That shows that there’s good people as well as bad people out there,” he continued.
A GoFundMe page has been established to aid Phillips and the store. Over $5,000 have been raised for the cause thus far.
A fundraiser will also be taking place on March 31 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Cape Cod Beer in Hyannis. Author Casey Sherman, a Hyannis native known for his books “The Finest Hours” and “Boston Strong,” will be at the event.
Phillips hopes that his story can prevent this from happening to others in the future.
To donate to the cause, visit the GoFundMe page by clicking here.
About Brendan Fitzpatrick
