Beethoven had music. Picasso — painting. Lori Ann Talens’s genius manifested itself in a more peculiar way: counterfeiting coupons.
in a scheme to steal millions of dollars’ worth of electronics with fraudulent discounts.
Shoppers can protect themselves by never paying for coupons as those that are for sale are often forgeries or stolen, according to Bud Miller, executive director of the Coupon Information Corporation, a not-for-profit association of manufacturers that fights coupon fraud.
To fill orders, Talens used her computer to design and produce a variety of forgeries from her home, then mailed the fake coupons across the country. She accepted various forms of online payment, including bitcoin and PayPal. In most cases, the coupons offered deals equal to, or even greater than, the value of the merchandise, allowing the shopper to get the item for free. In cases where the discount exceeded the price of an item, retailers had to pay the customer for “purchasing” it.
In a separate scheme, Talens defrauded Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program out of roughly $43,000 over about four years. When applying for benefits, she failed to report her husband’s legitimate income and the money they’d made from their scam. If she had reported that income, she wouldn’t have qualified for federal assistance.
“But for Lori Ann’s expertise, motivation, and determination, this scheme could not have occurred,” the prosecutor wrote. “She deserves the lion’s share of the credit for its success, and … must receive the lion’s share of the punishment for the harm she has caused.”
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