True crime show to air story on Virginia Beach woman who ran massive coupon fraud scheme
The story of a Virginia Beach woman who federal prosecutors have said masterminded possibly the biggest counterfeit coupon scheme in U.S. history will be the focus of an ABC true crime television series Thursday night.
The case of Lori Ann Talens will be featured on “The Con” at 10 p.m.
An online description of the one-hour episode lists it as being about “a young mom (who) uses her graphic design skills to create counterfeit coupons to get free meals, household supplies and money.”
Among those interviewed for the episode was Talens, who’s housed at Federal Prison Camp Alderson, a minimum security facility for women in Alderson, West Virginia. The lead investigators on the case — Jason Thomasson of the U.S. Postal Inspector Service and Shannon Brill from the FBI — also were interviewed.
An ABC spokesperson didn’t respond to a message seeking more information about the episode.
Talens, 42, a wife and mother of three, pleaded guilty last year to wire, mail and health care fraud in U.S. District Court in Norfolk. She was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison. Her husband, Pacifico Talens Jr., was sentenced to seven years and three months for his role.
While the couple made less than $400,000 from the scheme, it ended up costing about 100 retailers and manufacturers more than $31 million in losses.
Prosecutors said Talens masterminded the scheme, designing and printing highly realistic coupons from her home computer for about three years. She used social media sites to find coupon enthusiasts and then shipped the counterfeit coupons throughout the country in exchange for payment. Her husband’s role was mostly limited to shipping them for her.
Operating under the moniker “MasterChef,” Talens printed the coupons on high quality, glossy paper, and added corporate logos and product images to make them look real. She even included working barcodes that scanned as legitimate when presented at supermarkets and department stores.
The coupons were so indistinguishable from real ones that it took counterfeit coupon experts to positively confirm they were phony. The only thing suspicious was the discount amount.
In most cases, they offered deals equal to, or even greater, than the value of the item in question, which allowed the shopper to get them for free. In instances where the value of the coupon exceeded an item’s value, retailers had to pay the shopper for “purchasing” the item.
The fraud was discovered when a customer reported it to the Coupon Information Center, a coalition of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to coupon integrity.
Want to watch?
What: “The Con”
When: 10 tonight, WVEC
Jane Harper, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
