An eight-year-old 'criminal mastermind' managed to make a counterfeit £5 note and lied to his mum saying he had 'found it', before eventually ripping it up when he believed the police might be after him.
Louise Ruthven, from Harrogate in Yorkshire, says she was reading a book at home when her son Jake came upstairs to show her the fiver he had 'found in the garden'.
However, Jake eventually cracked under the pressure of his mum's questioning and revealed that he had actually Googled a photo of a note and printed out both sides.
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And this wasn't some half-a***d attempt, either - the youngster spent around 10 minutes making sure the photos were the correct size to pass as a £5 note before hitting print and then gluing the two pictures together.
After proudly showing off his handiwork, his mum burst out laughing before telling him that it was illegal to counterfeit money.
The news that he'd potentially broken the law terrified young Jake so much that he tore up the note and his mum had to reassure him that the cops were not about to come and get him.
Louise said: "Jake was so proud of himself. It was like he was a criminal mastermind.
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"He thought he had cracked the secret to free money. I was in stitches. The only problem was the notes had the Queen's head on both sides.
"The next thing Jake comes into the bedroom and he said he'd found a £5 note in the garden. I couldn't understand how he had found it.
"He had Googled money, printed out some pictures, cut them out and then glued them together and made my own money.
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"When I checked my phone, I saw he had searched for a £5 note. He had found pictures of £50 notes but didn't use them - he didn't think they were real as he had never seen one.
"It took him about 10 minutes in total because on the first few occasions, the pictures he'd chosen were too small and he wanted to make sure they were the correct size.
"When I told him it was illegal, he did start to panic a bit. He thought the police would come after him so ripped the note up.
"I had to calm him down and tell him he was fine, and they wouldn't chase after him, just as long as he didn't print any more off.
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"He has never done anything like this before but when we walked past an old-fashioned car he joked about driving away with it.
"What does the future hold with [counterfeit] money and stealing cars?"
Best of luck, Louise.
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News And Media