A local family says they were duped after selling a pricy piece of equipment on Facebook Marketplace.
Allison and Shawn Calhoun listed a floor buffer for $800. When a man agreed to pay all cash, they agreed to lower the price to $500.
That man came to pick up the equipment and pay for it on Sunday night. Since he has not been charged with a crime, we’re not using his name or showing his face.
“He got here and kind of seemed off a little bit,” Allison Calhoun said. “I don’t know if he was nervous or what.”
The Calhouns gave us their home surveillance video, which shows the man pulling out a large wad of cash, folded in half and handing it to Shawn Calhoun, who in turn hands it off to Allison. Allison said at the time she was busy with her kids.
Only after he left did they count the cash - $500 in one large wad. It seems legitimate, but when you take a closer look, he back of each bill says “Motion Picture Purposes” at the very top where it usually says, “The United States of America.”
“I was like ‘I don’t think this is real,’” Allison recalled. “And he was like ‘what do you mean?’”
The money was counterfeit.
“Honestly, I just started seeing red because the guy just ripped us off,” Allison said.
The Calhouns say they called the man to give him a chance to return it or pay them before going to the police, but he hung up on them.
“It just blows my mind,” Allison said. “I don’t know the nerve of people. What even was he thinking?”
Channel 11 reached out to State Police, who the Calhouns say came out and took a report that night. A spokesperson tells us they’re looking into this.
In the meantime, Allison and Shawn, who have five children, say that $500 meant a lot to them.
“I was actually already telling my husband this is going to be a jumpstart on back-to-school start,” Allison said. “This year we’re going to have a kindergartener, first grader, fourth grader, and eighth grader.”
We reached out to the buyer in that video to get his side of the story, but so far, we haven’t heard back.
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