Would-be thief caught stealing fake money on CCTV

A US man has been caught on CCTV footage robbing a register of play money he thought was real.

The suspect was filmed breaking into the YMCA Child Development Centre in Indio, California, by kicking in a ceiling duct and dropping to the floor.

He then made his way to a cash register which he broke open before pocketing the cash inside and fleeing through the front door.

Only it turns out the register was actually a children’s toy and was filled with fake play-money.

Local police are now using the footage to try and track down the suspect.

“Thieves tend to have specific MOs that they follow, stuff they get comfortable with,” Sergeant Dan Marshall told CNN affiliate AZ Family.

“They don’t get caught doing it once and they figure, hey, it’s a tried and true method and then they stick to it.”