Extreme Couponers Get 19 Years In Jail For $31.8M Fraud

The couple known as extreme couponers is now facing a total jail sentence of 19 years. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently revealed details of a fraud.

A Virginia Beach couple managed to defraud companies with its $31.8 million counterfeit coupon scheme.

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Extreme Couponers Falsified Millions of Dollars Worth of Coupons

The FBI released a press statement last week. The agency reported that investigators discovered fake coupons stashed in every crevice of the house belonging to Lori Ann and Pacifico Talens.

The couple, known as the “Extreme Couponers” managed to create fake coupons that passed off as the real thing. In fact, the falsified savings they printed carried a value of more than $1 million. Agents also found designs for coupons for more than 13,000 products on Lori Ann’s computers. 

Special Agent Shannon Brill said that Talens managed to pull off highly believable fake coupons. “She trained herself in the different techniques she needed to manipulate barcodes to make these coupons work,” Brill said.

The agency pointed at Talens as the mastermind. She would create fake coupons that carry discounts “near or even over” an item's retail value.

Talens Sold The Coupons and Didn’t Use Them For Herself

Surprisingly, the Extreme Couponers didn’t use the fake coupon for their own use. The FBI reported that she sold the coupons to subscribers.

Buyers found Talens’ offers to sell coupons on social media. Once contacted, Talens would communicate with customers via an encrypted messaging app. 

For giving out fake coupons, Talens managed to collect more than $400,000 in digital currencies such as bitcoin. In some cases, Talens would accept payment of stolen paper rolls used by stores to print coupons.  

Talens Sold Fake Coupons For Three Years Before Getting Arrested

The racket went on for three years. Afterward, the Coupon Information Corporation managed to get a tip that someone was making money from manufacturing and distributing fake coupons.

One manufacturer, whose products were covered by some of Talens’ coupons, said they lost around $125,000 from the fake coupons. 

Last September, the court sentenced Talens to 12 years in prison. Authorities said she perpetrated “a counterfeit coupon fraud scheme” that amounted to $32 million in losses for retailers and manufacturers.

Pacifico received a lower seven-year sentence in prison. The court said he was aware the whole time and benefited from the activity. Investigators also said that the couple used the money for high-end home renovations.

This includes spending the ill-gotten money to build a new pool and remodel their kitchen. In a fit of remorse, Talens said that she felt  “deeply ashamed and embarrassed” by her actions.

Watch the News Leader video reporting on Frankenstein’ Coupons Worth $31 Million Result in 12 Year Sentence:

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What do you think of the Extreme Couponers? Do you think they managed to pull off a clever scheme? What do you think was the reason they got caught?

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