Police are reporting that Thailand has become the place to go for crooks, fugitives, and terrorists looking for fake and altered passports.

“The people who use these fake documents and passports are terrorists, fugitives and people illegally transferring or laundering money or opening bank accounts,” said Col. Chote Kuldiloke, who oversees such investigations at the Immigration Police Bureau.

According to authorities, the most common counterfeited passports are Belgian, French, Portuguese and Spanish, because passports from those countries are easiest to work with. Many of the passports being altered are stolen or even purchased from tourists, who can pick up a quick $500 by selling their passports.

One reason that Thailand is so popular among counterfeiters is its relatively light penalties for faking Thai government documents or possession of stolen property — five years in jail and a $240 fine.