A couple were arrested at the international car show at Nasrec after attempting to pay a store owner with counterfeit money, Johannesburg police said on Sunday.

"The store owner called police on Saturday on realising that the money was fake and on searching the couple, police found counterfeit money totalling R1500 on them," Inspector Lorraine van Emmerik said.

Upon further investigations, the couple led police to a 39-year-old man in Soweto, who was found with R5000 of counterfeit money.

The 19-year-old woman, her 24-year-old boyfriend and the man aged 39 were expected to appear in court on Monday.

Sapa