NORTH MUSKEGON, Mich. — "Right now, I'm just kicking myself for being naïve, thinking, 'This is never going to happen to me,'" North Muskegon resident Bob Degand said.
Degand was in disbelief Saturday after he was paid for an unopened, $600 PlayStation console he had listed on Facebook Marketplace with fake money meant for movie props.
"As soon as I had the bills in hand, I'm like, 'Okay, they don't feel right,'" Degand said. "So, I'm looking at them, but I'm seeing the stripes so my eyes are focused on that at the time. And then when I flipped it over, and saw 'In Prop We Trust.' I'm like, 'You've got to be kidding me.'"
Security footage from cameras on Degand's home showed the moment the thief arrived at Degand's yard sale and handed him the fake bills before quickly leaving the yard.
Moments later, Degand realized what had happened and that the bills were fake, but it was too late - the thief was already taking off in what he believed to be the getaway truck.
"Then I [made] a beeline for the street as well to see if I can potentially get a snapshot of the driver, the truck, the license plate," Degand said.
His effort met with no success.
Degand said police told him that the buyer's name on Facebook was likely an alias used to cover their true identity.
He then learned he wasn't the first victim of this kind of scam.
In March, the Fort Wayne Police Department posted a warning about a rash of seemingly identical scams in Indiana.
The department told people to inspect the money before handing over the item for sale.
Degand is now hoping to spread the message to others in his community before they too fall victim to the trick.
"Hopefully some folks can come forward and, you know, get these folks to face justice, because I'm sure I'm not alone," Degand said.
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