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West Valley woman paid in counterfeit bills after selling drone on ‘letgo’ app

Posted at 7:20 PM, Dec 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-05 21:33:09-05

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A West Valley woman said she was given counterfeit money from the man who bought a drone she sold using the "letgo" smartphone app.

Maria Razo said she sells all kinds of toys, furniture and jewelry on Facebook, “letgo” and “OfferUp” to make extra money.  She left her job recently to help take care of her daughter, who became ill.

Razo listed a drone for $95.00 on "letgo" and a profile with the name “Mark” said he was interested. Mark’s profile did not include a last name or a picture.  That was the first concern for Razo.

“Most of the time, I use Facebook to sell my things, but sometimes I do use the other apps. They just don’t offer as much information about someone, so I am always a little uneasy,” Razo explained

Razo said Mark told her he was interested in the drone and asked if she would sell it for less. She agreed to lower the price to $90.

Mark came by Razo's house to pick up the drone late at night. Razo said she doesn't usually meet with buyers at her house, but she made an exception because it was cold out and late at night.

She gave her address and told her husband what she was doing.

"What I found kind of strange and made me nervous was [...] he said ‘Can you make sure that you're outside waiting for me because I am in a hurry. My ride is in a hurry,’ and I thought 'This just doesn't feel right'," Razo said.

Razo stood outside and watched a car slowly drive up and down her street before disappearing down the road. Then, a man came to meet her.

“I just showed him the drone. He is like ‘Is it new?’ He was very friendly, very nice. His teeth were really bad. He looked like somebody who possibly did drugs or something like that. They were all rotten," Razo said.

She said she has been trying not to be judgmental lately and wanted to try to make the experience positive, even though the red flags were everywhere. After making the transaction, Razo took the money inside and that's when she realized it was counterfeit.

Razo messaged him but he didn’t reply until 1 a.m. He denied knowing it was bogus cash.

“The guy replied ‘I don't know what you're talking about. My girl got change for a hundred.’ And that was the money. I mean, if it had been one bill, one twenty, I could believe that. But it was a fifty and two twenties," Razo said.

Razo posted her situation on Facebook and she got several responses from people writing they had heard that man was doing that and using fake cash on the “letgo” app. Razo called West Valley Police and officers filed a report.

Razo said she felt taken advantage of and it hurt more because of the time of year.

“It’s hurtful, that’s not what the Christmas spirit is about,” said Razo.

She still found it in her heart to wish him the best this holiday season.

“If he can get help then hopefully, he can take it and be a better person.”

If you know more information about this scam or the man with the bogus money please call West Valley Police.