Deception and deception detection is a part of human communication and needs to be accurately represented in computer mediated communication. In this study deception facial micro-expressions are translated from live human footage onto virtual reality based avatars in order to assess how well these cues can be represented and communicated in a virtual world. The results indicate that human observers are no better at detecting deception in this scenario than in previous experiments. Classification methods identify limitations in accurately representing the expression space. The experimental design does suggest strategies for using virtual reality for more accurately investigating deception practices for future studies.