VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Some of the vendors at the Old Beach Art and Eco Market say they got a bad ViBe after they were given counterfeit money in exchange for their goods last Saturday.
The bills were given out folded up and only showing the ‘20’ symbol. At first glance, you wouldn’t be able to tell that inside it says, ‘For Motion Picture Purposes’.
“We just love being at the ViBe, and it’s a good vibe, usually, until this happened,” said vendor Kelly Lepkowski.
Three different vendors ended up unknowingly accepting the fake bills, including Lepkowski.
She sells pebble art every Saturday at the market. She’s a teacher by day, but said that this side hustle is something that brings her joy. However, this joy was shattered when she took a folded up fake bill in exchange for one of her crafts.
“It is very authentic-looking, unless you really take the time to read,” Lepkowski said. “And you know, you’re super hot, you have like, three people waiting, and you’re just trying to make conversation and be friendly and wrapping up the stuff in a nice bag, and I just put it in my purse and didn’t think of it. Nobody should have to work hard and get paid with fake money.”
Lepkowski said she didn’t realize it was fake until after she went to the ATM to deposit the money she made that day. She then alerted the market organizers, and that’s when other vendors came forward to say she wasn’t the only one.
“Any loss for these people that work super hard to be here on a Saturday is enough loss, no matter the monetary amount,” said Lori Golding Zontini, executive director at the Old Beach Farmers Market. “They messed with the wrong market.”
She said this has been a learning experience for everyone, and they hope to raise awareness about the issue so other businesses don’t fall victim to the fake bills as well.
“You can mistake this very much so for a real 20, and especially when someone’s trying to buy your art or support your business, you’re just excited in the way that this economy is lately to take the money and make a sale,” Golding Zontini said.
And going forward, Lepkowski is going to be extra cautious, and she encourages other small businesses to do the same.
“It was eye opening,” she said, “just really makes you kind of think, ‘I just got to be more careful.'”
A spokesperson at the Virginia Beach Police Department told 10 On Your Side they did receive a report about this incident and are investigating.
If you have any information, you can contact VBPD at (757) 385-4101 or Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or P3Tips.com.
