No, that’s not being a Karen. A Karen is a person who doesn’t mind their business, harasses ppl who aren’t doing anything wrong, and feels that it is their duty to police others who aren’t doing anything wrong.

In this case something odd happened to you and your intuition is telling you that the ppl you encountered may have tried to scam you. Let somebody know, like the police. Go down to the police station, file a report and release the pics so the police will have it on their radar.