Alleged Check Scam
At-home business owners lose money, products
"Five heartland women with home
businesses say they have been scammed by a woman writing bad checks.
Altogether, the victims say her checks have cost them more than
$800.
Laura Peyton,
the suspected bad check writer, was in the Sarpy County Jail Tuesday
night after a Six On Your Side investigation. But she says she never
meant to rob the five wives and mothers of their money or their
products.
The home business owners, who sell
everything from cosmetics to candles, say they are not convinced.
"When the check bounced, I started
going after her for that, then saw online that she had my things for
sale," Cheryl Pease said of Peyton.
In fact, two of the five women got
their money back from Peyton after threatening to call police, but
the other three say Peyton actually profited off of them by selling
their products online when she had never paid for them in the first
place.
"When I saw it being resold, that
made me really angry because I'm out my money and she's taking all
our products and making a fortune on it," Kristine Steege said.
Tuesday, Peyton was arrested on two
outstanding check warrants. She agreed to do a phone interview with
Six On Your Side's Mike McKnight about accusations of fraud made by
the five at-home business owners.
"I'm more than willing to work with
them, whether they want the products I have, or send them cash,"
Peyton said. "It was a big mistake, a bank mistake, and I'm not
trying to scam
anybody."
But the women whom Peyton paid with
her bad checks say they were victimized months after she already had
warrants issued for the same crime.
They also believe Peyton claimed on
a website to be involved in a non-profit organization collecting
items for military families.
Peyton denies the accusation."
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