A woman was yesterday charged by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court with fraud over allegations that she set up a fake Facebook account to persuade another woman to lend her $3,000.

Yim Chakrya, 22, a businesswoman from Phnom Penh’s Doeum Thkov commune, filed a complaint to police against Yim Solida, 21, whom she accused of posing as Chakrya’s younger sister to secure the transfers.

Captain Seng Sokhom, a Phnom Penh military police officer, said Solida was a student at a private university in the capital and was charged under articles 377 and 378 of the Penal Code after being arrested on Monday.

“She [Solida] created a Facebook account using the name of a relative of the victim and pretending to live in the United States,” he said.

“She always borrowed money from the victim, one time $400, then $1,500 at the end of July, then finally $1,000 in mid-August,” he added.

Chakrya soon became suspicious and called her sister in the US directly, uncovering the ruse.

Ly Sophanna, deputy prosecutor at the court, and Solida could not be reached for comment yesterday.