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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Officers in the Shoal Creek Division of the Kansas City, Mo. Police Department say they've had at least four reports of garage sales getting big bills passed off as real, when they're actually fake. One victim says he wants to spread the word so no one else gets scammed.

Darrel Mashburn just wanted to get rid of some extra stuff and make a little money in the process. Two women handed his 15-year-old niece a $100 bill last Friday.

"She didn't know any better, she said she thought it looked fake at first, but she didn't know any different," Mashburn explained.

The women walked away with change in real bills, but their $100 turned out to be fake. The next day a man asked Mashburn to break a hundred. He thought twice, but this one even had a blue strip.

"I had just told him that I'd gotten a fake bill the day before and I was very leary of it when he asked if I could break a hundred," Mashburn said.

It was a fake too. Mashburn was out more than a $150 from his weekend garage sale. Police in the Northland say they've had at least four reports of this kind since the middle of May. They say to avoid getting scammed, get a counterfeit detecting pen at almost any major store, don't accept bills larger than $20's, don't keep your money box out in the open, and don't ever let a stranger into your house.

Sarah Mannering agrees with those tips, but this seasoned garage saler adds a few of her own. Two people always work the sale and doors are locked.

"Front door's locked, back door's locked, telephone accessible," Mannering explained.

She says you can't be too careful.

"You want to think that people are good, but there are some people out there, that maybe that's what they do," Mannering said.

Mashburn learned that the hard way.

"I feel like I'm a pretty smart guy and I feel like I got taken advantage of and it's a pretty crappy feeling," said Mashburn

Witnesses have given several different descriptions of suspects but Kansas City police are not reporting that anyone has been caught yet. If you do get a counterfeit bill- turn it over to law enforcement.