Kanchanaburi couple arrested for using fake money in top-up machines
Police on Wednesday arrested a married couple who allegedly used fake bills to top up at an automatic kiosk in Kanchanaburi province, causing more than 7,000 baht of damage.
An automatic top-up kiosk can be used to transfer money, pay bills, top-up game currencies and for other prepaid services.
A shop owner in Tha Muang district filed a complaint with Nong Khao police station earlier this month and submitted CCTV footage showing the couple wearing face masks and riding on a motorcycle with the license plate removed using the automatic top-up kiosk in front of his establishment.
Police tracked down the suspects to their house in Muang district and arrested Prasitchai, 28 and his wife Jintara, 27 (last name withheld) on Wednesday night. The couple reportedly admitted to the crime, adding that they studied how to use fake bills in a certain model of automatic kiosk to bypass the security check via a video clip available on YouTube.
Police said the fake banknotes used are a toy meant for children. They added that only a few models of automatic kiosks can be fooled with these bills.
Police dismissed the suspects’ claim that they committed the crime for the first time, as evidence pointed to repeated offences and the fact that the suspects were well prepared. This includes their wearing of face masks, removal of the license plate from the bike, which they had rented from a local shop, and how they selected only the kiosk model that is vulnerable to counterfeit bills.
The shop owner who filed the complaint said false bills had also been fed into a few more kiosks of the same model in the neighbourhood and that he believed this to be the work of the suspects.
Police charged the couple with fraud and will continue to investigate other kiosks in the area.
