A woman carrying two Chinese passports and a device containing computer malware lied to Secret Service agents and briefly gained admission to US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort during his Florida visit, federal prosecutors have alleged in court documents.

Key points: The woman was admitted after a club manager thought she may have been related to a member

The woman was admitted after a club manager thought she may have been related to a member But she told different stories to staff members and Secret Service agents

But she told different stories to staff members and Secret Service agents The intruder has been charged with making false statements and entering a restricted area

Yujing Zhang, 32, approached a Secret Service agent at a checkpoint outside the Palm Beach club early on Saturday afternoon (local time) and said she was a member who wanted to use the pool, court documents said.

She showed the passports as identification.

Agents said she was not on the membership list, but a club manager thought Ms Zhang was the daughter of a member.

When they asked Ms Zhang if the member was her father, agents said she did not answer definitively but they thought it might be due to a language barrier and admitted her.

Ms Zhang's story changed when she got inside, agents said, telling a front desk receptionist she was there to attend the United Nations Chinese American Association event scheduled for that evening.

No such event was scheduled and agents were summoned.

Agent Samuel Ivanovich wrote in court documents that Ms Zhang told him she was there for the Chinese American event and had come early to familiarise herself with the club and take photos, again contradicting what she had said at the checkpoint.

She showed him an invitation in Chinese that he could not read.

Secret Service agents became suspicious when the woman changed her story. ( AP: Yuri Gripas (file) )

He said Ms Zhang was taken off the grounds and told she could not be there.

Mr Ivanovich said she became argumentative, so she was taken to the local Secret Service office for questioning.

There, he said, it became clear Ms Zhang spoke and read English well.

He said Ms Zhang said she had travelled from Shanghai to attend the non-existent Mar-a-Lago event on the invitation of an acquaintance named "Charles", whom she only knew through a Chinese social media app.

Mr Ivanovich said she then denied telling the checkpoint agents she was a member wanting to swim.

Mr Ivanovich said Ms Zhang carried four mobile phones, a laptop computer, an external hard drive and a thumb drive containing computer malware. She did not have a swimsuit.

Ms Zhang is charged with making false statements to federal agents and illegally entering a restricted area. She remains in custody pending a hearing next week. Her public defender, Robert Adler, declined comment.

In a statement, the Secret Service said they had acted to prevent prohibited items from entering the club.

"While the Secret Service does not determine who is permitted to enter the club, our agents and officers conduct physical screenings to ensure no prohibited items are allowed onto the property," the statement said.

Mr Trump was visiting the resort for the weekend when Ms Zhang entered, but there is no indication she was ever near him.

The US President has owned the members-only resort since 1985 and has visited it frequently since becoming President in 2016, referring to it as the Winter White House.

AP