A Soweto woman is behind bars after using a forged payslip to buy new furniture for her home, Jabulani police said on Wednesday.

Inspector Kay Makhubele said the 27-year-old woman tried to open an account at the OK furniture store in the suburb and presented a payslip showing she was an SABC employee, and an identity document.

The staffer doing her background check was informed that the staff number on the payslip actually belonged to a man.

On closer inspection of her ID book, it was also found that she had allegedly pasted her own photograph over somebody else's.

She was swiftly arrested, and will appear in the Protea Magistrate's Court soon, said Makhubele.

He observed that the recession might be forcing people to try new ways of providing for themselves.

"But they will go wrong," he said.

The true owner of the payslip and ID book was being traced, he said.

Sapa

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