Pet Sitter Stole Thousands From Boss and Replaced It With 'Fake Movie Money': Police

A pet sitter in Alabama is accused of stealing thousands from her employer and replacing it with counterfeit "movie money," police say.

The suspect, Lori Nicole Smith, allegedly took advantage of her boss's trust while caring for her home and pets, WKRG reported.

The victim, a woman who owns multiple rental properties, kept large sums of cash in her home for business purposes. After suffering a fall that left her unable to get around easily, she hired Smith, a pet sitter from Silverhill, about six months ago to assist with household tasks.

Over time, the victim unknowingly became the target of an elaborate theft scheme. Police allege that Smith gradually stole more than $20,000 in rental money and attempted to cover it up by replacing the stolen cash with prop bills labeled "For Motion Picture Purposes."

The deception went unnoticed until the victim or someone else closely examined the fake money and reported the theft to authorities.

Officers noted that while such counterfeit bills occasionally appear in drug cases, this was the first time they had encountered it in a case of this magnitude.

Smith, who reportedly told investigators she was struggling financially and planned to pay the money back, was arrested but later released on a $7,500 bond. So far, police have only been able to recover about $3,500 of the stolen funds.