Tourist police have detained a Chinese woman who was accused of trying to use a fake credit card to buy gold chains at Mahboonkrong shopping centre in Bangkok.
Mei Liu, 28, had seven fake electronic cards and a fake passport when officers picked her up, said Pol Col Apichai Theamart, acting chief of the tourist police.
Police were informed of an irregularity in a credit card transaction as the card belonged to a Chinese bank but the six-digit code, identifying the location of the bank, belonged to a bank in the United States.
Ms Liu was detained when officers found that her passport had no immigration stamp showing her entry into Thailand.
Officers said the woman told them she had teamed up with a Taiwanese friend who lived in Thailand to use the fake credit card to buy gold worth more than 60,000 baht in order to sell it later.
Before Ms Liu was arrested at MBK, a fake card was used to purchase gold at another shop in Yaowarat.
Pol Col Apichai said the initial investigation indicated that the woman may have been part of a gang as she arrived in Thailand on Tuesday, posing as a tourist and using a fake passport.
Ms Lui has been charged with entering Thailand without permission and holding or using fake electronic cards.
Police said they intended to expand the investigation to find her associates.