By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — New Jersey authorities say a couple of alleged scam artists tried to lure victims with what they called, “black money.”

Carl Jenkins of Philadelphia and Nyondah Blay of Trenton were charged with theft by deception after an unusual transaction. Attorney General Jeff Chiesa says they claimed to have smuggled hundreds of thousands of dollars out of their native Liberia by painting it black and promised to share it if the alleged victim would loan them money to buy the chemicals needed to clean it off.

“They’ll take a bill out of the box,” Chiesa says, “they’ll dissolve the ink to show them it’s real money, when in reality, the big box of money they’re showing them is not money, but appears to be paper you print money on.”

Chiesa says they were arrested in Cherry Hill after taking several thousand dollars from an alleged victim.

They are being held on bail in Camden County prison.