A Takeo province woman has been accused of fraud after she allegedly tried to pay off an investor in a purported antiques business with $500,000 in counterfeit “spirit money”.

According to police, since 2013, garment worker Sun Nary, 38, had received a total of $10,500 in two payments from 58-year-old Koh Thom district television repairman Touch Phann to buy and sell antiques.

On Tuesday, Nary hired a Highlander taxi to drive to Kandal province where she was to meet Phann in Sa’ang district’s Koh Khel commune and share the profits of the business, which she claimed was $500,000 packed in a locked metal box.

However, before handing the money over, Nary demanded $4,000 to pay for the taxi.

Suspicious, Phann agreed to hand over $2,000 but demanded the pair first count the $500,000 at a nearby police station, where the counterfeit nature of the money was discovered and Nary was arrested.

“All of the money was fake,” said Sa’ang district police officer Seng Socheat.

“The suspect has cheated the victim twice already and yesterday she intended to do it again,” Socheat added.

The suspect and the fake money were sent to Kandal Provincial Court yesterday afternoon. A representative of the court could not be reached yesterday.