Counterfeit cash made by Zhao. Photo: Screenshot of photos by Red Star News

A 24-year-old man who is color blind has been sent to prison for making counterfeit cash that was so badly forged he apparently never even attempted to use it. 

The man surnamed Zhao, from Suining, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, researched how to make counterfeit money online and bought some required necessities including printers, ink cartridges and special paper used to make fake money, according to a local domestic news outlet, which didn't explain how police nabbed him. 

Zhao was so inept at counterfeiting that he had to ask his girlfriend to check the color of the fake money he made. 

Zhao told local police that he didn't have an income and had inadvertently found an online group that provides instructions on how to make counterfeit money.

Police recovered about 2,000 yuan in fake notes, far less than what Zhao spent making them. Some Net users sarcastically hailed Zhao as a "business genius," while others lamented his inability to understand the limits of his skillset. 

"He is really not suited for the job," said a Weibo user. 

Zhao was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, while his girlfriend is going to jail for 18 months, reported local news outlets.