Follow Up to Phoenix Police Coupon Fraud Ring Bust

Posted on July 12, 2012 by couponcutzowner

It was the largest fraudulent coupon ring bust in US history; yesterday Phoenix Police arrested three Phoenix women for their roles in the distribution of counterfeit coupons. “Operation Supercoupon” was an eight week investigation, spear headed by Bud Miller, the executive director of the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) which is a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping the sale and spread of fraudulent coupons.

Today we have more information from family members of two of the suspects in this case, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko Fountain; Robin Ramirez made no comments. Marilyn Johnson is a retired special education teacher who, according to her husband Arthur Johnson, hasn’t had so much as a speeding ticket. He states that his wife was arrested at their small south Phoenix home where they run a small dog breeding business. Arthur Johnson states only in the last four months did his wife begin working for Ramirez, sorting and packing coupons once or twice a week in exchange for free coupons. They were told Ramirez got the coupons through a non-profit organization and they believed the coupons were legitimate.

A relative of Amiko Fountain stated she is an honest person that could not have known about this scheme because she never benefited financially. In fact, she is a chiropractor who has been struggling financially and even had to borrow money shortly before her arrest.

Phoenix Police say the coupons were actually coming from overseas and Ramirez was selling them online in what has now become the first counterfeiting and forgery case of its kind in the US. Johnson has secured an attorney and Fountain is waiting to be appointed a public defender. All three women are currently being held at the Estrella County Jail.

Phoenix Police Bust Nationwide Coupon Fraud Ring

Posted on July 10, 2012 by couponcutzowner

Today Phoenix Police announced they had made arrests and confiscated $25 million in fraudulent coupons. After conducting an eight week investigation, three people have been arrested: Marilyn Johnson, Robin Ramirez and Amiko Fountain. Ramirez was the ring leader and Amiko and Fountain were her “helpers”. In addition to the counterfeit coupons, police were also able to confiscate $2 million worth of assets that included $240,000 in vehicles, 22 guns, a 40-foot speed boat and other assets. The assets which were seized are alleged to have come from proceeds of the coupon fraud.

The fraudulent coupons were being sold via the savvyshopersite.com and all of the coupons were for “free” items. Once purchased from that site, many of the coupons may have made their way further out via the internet through sites such as Ebay.com where more and more consumers were able to obtain the coupons and then use them. The end result is losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars for some product manufacturer’s, retail stores and consumers.

The Coupon Information Corporation was instrumental in the investigation and Bud Miller, the executive director of the CIC, was on hand to issue a statement.

“This particular case has cost manufacturers, retailers and consumers, particularly members of the Ebay community, tens of millions of dollars. On that note I’d like to thank the Phoenix Police Department, who made this case possible. It has national ramifications and international ramifications.”

This was the largest counterfeit coupon bust in the nation so far.

You can watch the KPHO Phoenix/CBS 5 news cast below.

Ebay – Fradulent Quilted Northern Coupons STILL FOR SALE!

Posted on July 4, 2012 by couponcutzowner

We’ve done plenty of reporting on the notorious fraudulent Quilted Northern Coupons and in a recent search of Ebay we found they are still being sold! That’s right, and our searches have uncovered one seller in particular that has several listing for these fake coupons: sososongo is their username.

The unfortunate part of this story is that this seller actually has a positive feedback rating of 99.7% right now. They only have one complaint in the past month which states “THESE ANGEL SOFT BATH TISSUE COUPONS ARE CONTERFEIT. I HAVE AN OPEN CASE W/EBAY”; we will begin an investigation in to the allegations of fraudulent Angel Soft coupons as soon as possible.

This person has six ebay ads selling the fraudulent Quilted Northern coupons so BUYER BEWARE!!!

Extreme Couponing: Even More Fraudulent Coupons Used!

Posted on May 29, 2012 by couponcutzowner

After doing more research today I came across information regarding another set of fraudulent coupons that were used on last nights “Extreme Couponing” Season 3 premiere. You can read more at jillcataldo.com and you can also view stills from the show.

Apparently Cole Ledford used several coupons which allowed him to steal Hefty garbage bags. You can see the proof that this coupon is fraudulent HERE and here is a picture of that coupon.

Here is the coupon seen in Cole’s stack…

It’s terrible that TLC condones fraud and the unfortunate fact is that stores will have to recoup the loss at the expense of the rest of us. People that use fraudulent coupons make it more difficult for legitimate coupon users to have a good experience and they drive up the cost of all products when they steal from stores.

Angelique Campbell, who used the fraudulent Quilted Northern coupons, blogged about her Extreme Couponing experience stating “I also for the first time did have to order some coupons from a clipping service (which is something I do not normally do and try to prevent).” I found a very interesting comment on her blog, which she answered.

From Charolette: How did you get all those packs of Quilted Northern? I know there is a Free Product Coupon that is being sold online that the manufacturer, Georgia Pacific, has said is fraudulent.

Response: I did purchase them in the rush of getting ready for the haul. I have had a very rough pregnancy and was not stocked on my coupons as normal…and did not have much energy to go searching for them…in desperation I did purchase them…I never purchase coupons…this was a new thing for me. Since then I have been in contact with the CIC to find out if the coupons were counterfeit they have not confirmed that they are…however I am praying that if they were…we can catch whoever the distributors are! I never intended on using fraudulent coupons and am disgusted at the possibility that they may have been. I cannot further address this issue publicly as per the request of the CIC.

I would see no possible reason for CIC to tell Angelique she cannot comment on the matter any further; it seems TLC is most likely trying to do damage control OR cover their own rear. The CIC WANTS people to know there are counterfeit coupons out there, they have a vested interest in STOPPING coupon fraud. TLC on the other hand has plenty to gain by telling Angelique to keep her trap shut….

TLC’s Extreme Couponing Season Premier Tonight. Will The Fraud Continue?

Posted on May 28, 2012 by couponcutzowner

Tonight is the season 3 premier of “Extreme Couponing” on TLC. Personally, I really just don’t feel this show depicts the “real” side of couponing but it’s still entertaining.

So I am watching the second 30 minute segment titled “Cole & Angelique“. Last month I reported on a fraudulent Quilted Northern coupon and what do I see BOTH of these people getting but the 18 roll Quilted Northern. I actually contacted the product manufacturer so if you want to know more then please go to our Coupon Fraud alerts. Here is a picture of that fraudulent coupon…..

So the answer to the question posed by this posts title is YES; the fraud continues but I guess it makes for good TV….. You will need to check your local listings for the show time but the show is airing on Monday’s now!

Free Quilted Northern Coupon Fraud UPDATE

Posted on April 18, 2012 by couponcutzowner

I recently told you about a counterfeit “free Quilted Northern” coupon which was circulating via the internet and specifically Ebay. I contacted the Georgia-Pacific Consumer Response Center via email and asked them if their company released these coupons, if so how long ago, what was the expiration date and how many did they release; this was their response:

We have heard from consumers like you about the coupons available online. At this time, we are trying to determine the source of the coupons. We typically do not print coupons with redemption values that high, and we do not have any coupons of that type currently.

In addition, that friend of mine that got her hands on the fake Quilted Northern coupons is going to be mailing me one so I can post an actual picture of it on my site. She also contacted the Coupon Information Corporation regarding these coupons (she spoke with them today) and she was told that this is an issue they are aware of. Ebay is working with them to try to curb the selling/exchange of these fraudulent coupons.They also let my friend know that when you see coupons online for FREE merchandise, they are most likely fraudulent coupons so STAY AWAY!

In the past I wrote to Stauffers because I’d tried a product of theirs and absolutely hated it. In return, they sent me a voucher for a FREE replacement product. This had a gold seal on it and this is not something you’d be getting out of the Sunday paper! I suspect what may have happened is an unscrupulous person got their hands on one of those types of vouchers, scanned it and so began the “free Quilted Northern” debacle.

Coupon fraud affects us all in one way or another. People (and TV shows) that are out there, using fraudulent coupons, are essentially shoplifting. When stores lose money to shoplifting, they pass those losses on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices. It also makes manufacturers more reluctant to put out the higher value coupons and it makes stores more suspicious of coupons in general. Do your part to stop coupon fraud! If you suspect you may have a fraudulent coupon, please don’t try to use it.

Buyer Beware: The Dangers of Paying Coupon Clippers Online

Posted on April 9, 2012 by couponcutzowner

I admit it, I love to get coupons from Ebay; I do it on a regular basis and thankfully I have only had one bad experience so far. Since coupons cannot be “sold” you will normally pay for the time of another to clip the coupons. Unfortunately there are people out there that simply want to make a fast buck and will send you fraudulent, printed or altered coupons.

A friend of mine recently paid for some “clipping time” and what she received was a poorly done copy of the manufacturers coupons. I haven’t seen them myself but from what she’s described they appear to have been printed on photo paper. The ink on them smudged when she handled them and they are only one sided. Legitimate coupons clipped from a Sunday paper have the coupon on one side and then usually something else on the other side. Anyone that coupons knows this and what she received was NOT clipped from a news paper.

She paid for this through Ebay and after contacting the seller, she was still not happy. The seller is 4my2boyzzz and she claims the coupons were clipped, not printed. She also demanded that my friend return the coupons before she would issue a refund. Ebay’s policy does not allow anyone to sell printed, or “internet” coupons. My friend has been in touch with Ebay support and is still attempting to resolve the issue.

If you ever suspect that you may have a fraudulent coupon there is a way it can be verified. Go to the Coupon Resource Center website and there you can enter a code from the coupon to find out if it is a legitimate coupon or a fake.

Now, there is actually more to this story than just what happened to my friend. Apparently these “free Quilted Northern” coupons are all over and have even been used on TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” show! These are the very same coupons that my friend had gotten from Ebay. I found this online regarding the TLC show as well as these very coupons….

Once the counterfeit coupons reached the manufacturer, the manufacturer denied payment to the store. A representative from Gelson’s contacted the producers of Extreme Couponing, outraged that they would absorb a loss of over $400. Joel’s mother then paid the store the value of the product that her son “bought” with the fake coupons.

I would encourage you to read the entire article at jillcataldo.com as well as more info at Coupon Information Corporation regarding these Quilted Northern coupons. I’m not sure if you can still view the episode online but the name was “Extreme Couponing Season 2, Ep. 8 “Katherine & Joel”.

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