Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
So the fakes would go undiscovered for weeks or even months. Coupons typically travel from local stores to central coupon clearinghouses. The coupon clearinghouses collect them and then bill the product manufacturer for their value. That’s how the retailer gets repaid.
“If the coupons are rejected, if they are counterfeit, then the retailer doesn’t get paid back for them,” said Brill. “But that whole process takes a lot of time. By the time a coupon gets identified as being fraudulent or fake, that coupon has already been used who knows how many times.”
Talens not only regularly used her own coupons, but she sold them to a large group of subscribers who found her through social media groups. Using an encrypted app to communicate with her customers, she only allowed in new members if they were referred by an existing member of the group. Each new buyer had to send a copy of their ID and provide evidence that they had used counterfeit coupons before—a way of making sure her buyers accepted some amount of risk in the scheme. Talens accepted payment through popular payment applications or by virtual currency and sometimes exchanged coupons for stolen rolls of the special paper stores use to print out coupons.
Over three years, Talens was paid about $400,000 by her subscribers; the agents credit a diligent FBI forensic accountant for painstakingly tracing thousands of transactions through payment apps and virtual currency wallets.
With the profits, she paid for high-end home renovations, including a new kitchen, sunroom, and in-ground swimming pool. Her family also took trips, shopped, and dined out while paying little or nothing for the things they consumed.
Investigators said that when they served the search warrant, they found fake coupons—worth more than $1 million—in every crevice of the house. “There were coupons in every jacket pocket; they were stuffed in her vehicles,” said Thomasson. They also found designs on Talens’ computer that allowed her to create coupons for more than 13,000 products.
While coupon fraud may sound like an insignificant crime, it creates painful ripples through the economy. “Someone has to eat those losses,” said Thomasson. “It ultimately funnels down to us, the consumers.”
“Anyone who buys anything will pay for those crimes,” echoed Brill. She also wants people to understand there is a real risk in trying to cheat stores and product manufacturers with fake coupons, and those risks extend beyond the person running the scheme. Brill and Thomasson said the Talens investigation is not closed out, and those who participated in her group or engage in similar schemes should not be surprised if they hear from investigators.