Four suspects who allegedly earned money by producing and selling counterfeit traffic tickets were charged with fraud by prosecutors in Shanghai Pudong New Area.

Prosecutors allege they sold fake tickets to drivers who wanted to avoid fines by traffic police.

The gang allegedly earned nearly 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) in four months.

Sheng Rudi and Qian Hanjun, two of the accused, were once engaged in a fake invoice business.

They started making and selling fake traffic tickets in August 2005 after a driver asked if they had fake tickets, prosecutors said.

The driver told the pair that under traffic laws a person can not be fined twice for a parking violation in one day.

The other two suspects allegedly bought a computer and printer to make the fake tickets look more professional after learning no handwritten tickets are issued any more, according to prosecutors.

Most clients are truck drivers with overloaded vehicles, a prosecutor said.

Some truck drivers will be reimbursed by their companies after being fined - another reason why fake traffic tickets have hit the market, prosecutor Yang Jilin said.

Police received several tips and caught the suspects on April 3. They seized more than 6,000 fake tickets, said police.

(Shanghai Daily September 12, 2006)