Madison Police are searching for two suspects after a Craigslist exchange on North Broom street did not quite go as planned Tuesday morning.

According to the police report, the suspects used $700 of counterfeit money to purchase a MacBook Pro from a 19-year-old craigslist user.

When the victim met the buyer in the parking lot, she was given a stack $20 bills totaling $700 they had previously agreed upon. The report said the victim did not realize the money was counterfeit until she had returned to her apartment.

Madison police spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the buyer and the man accompanying her are both suspects in the case, even though the man kept his distance during the transaction.

DeSpain said restaurants or stores would have recognized the counterfeit money  immediately, as it was of very low quality.

He added that this is not the first Craigslist crime police have seen downtown, but the use of counterfeit money is relatively new.

“We have seen a number of Craigslist crimes in the past but this is a bit of a new twist with people using counterfeit money,” DeSpain said. “It is a relatively new phenomenon and it is important for people who are selling items on Craigslist particularly to be very observant and take a good hard look at the cash before turning over the merchandise.”

[Photo via Peeper/Flickr]