Couponing… great for consumers and great for retailers, right? You save money, they gain loyal customers, what could go wrong? Extreme couponing made a debut on TLC in 2010 where it depicts individuals that go above and beyond to find deals and save money. They dedicate time and effort into finding the best coupons and retail locations to cash them in at, but sometimes it turns from extreme couponing to flat out fraud.
From April 2017 to May 2020 a couple in Virginia Beach (the Talens) committed fraud by making and distributing counterfeit coupons. The Talens researched how to manipulate barcodes in order for the coupons to work. They also traded counterfeit coupons for stolen paper to print them on. They found designs made by the Talen’s on their computer for more than 13,000 products. According to an FBI press release, the wife (Lori Talens) was sentenced in 2021 receiving 12 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $31.8 Million to the retailers and manufacturers who suffered losses for the coupon fraud. The husband (Pacifico Talens Jr.) was convicted for supporting the fraud and sentenced to 87 months in prison. According to the Department of Justice this is “one of the largest coupon fraud schemes ever discovered in the US.” Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia had this to say: “These two defendants have been sentenced and held accountable for operating one of the largest coupon fraud schemes ever discovered in the United States, resulting in over $31 million in losses to victims across the country. This fake coupon fraud is a prime example of the ingenuity of people who commit fraud and the old adage that in the end crime does not pay.