Time.com has a new story on the Phoenix counterfeit coupon ring. It mentions that TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” features shoppers regularly buying coupons from clipping services, as well as the confirmed instances of counterfeit coupons used on the show:
Talk about extreme couponing! Three women in Arizona were arrested recently for selling counterfeit coupons—a lot of counterfeit coupons. After an eight-week undercover investigation, police raided three homes in the Phoenix area, seized $40 million worth of bogus coupons, and arrested the women, who were enjoying a life of “opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff,” according to the police.
Investigators contacted the Phoenix Police Department, leading to the arrests of the three women—two of whom have gone public swearing that they had no knowledge the coupons were counterfeit. The FBI is now said to be involved in an investigation to figure out where the fake coupons were made.
Couponing has grown enormously popular in recent years due to the Great Recession and the possibility of saving big money via strategies shown on the TLC program “Extreme Couponing.” The couponers featured routinely buy coupons from clipping services, even though the legality of doing so is questionable, and there have been confirmed incidences of counterfeit coupons being used on the show.
Yes, there have been hundreds of counterfeit free-product coupons used on “Extreme Couponing” — many more than have even been written about in the media to date. And many of them line up to the lists of what was sold on SavvyShopperSite.com over the past few months. I’m still working on that story, as it takes time to go through all of the episodes again since this bust occurred and match them up to what was sold online. But stay tuned…
palatino says
I was reading Krazy Coupon Lady tonight and you won’t believe one of her readers spent $2000 (YEAH THAT’S TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS) on fake coupons from Savvy Shopper Site and Krazy Coupon Lady is still saying it’s okay to buy coupons online, just stay away from free ones. Not good advice!
Here is the post from the person who spent $2000
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Becca
“UNSUSPECTING” is the operative word here. In this economy people are searching for ways to make ends meet. T.V. has glamorized the “EXTREAME COUPONER” and when the “HONEST” person gets caught up in all the hype they’re the one’s, along with the manufacturer, that pays the price. Just cost my family over $2000.00 to prove we were “UNSUSPECTNG VICTEMS” too…..
https://thekrazycouponlady.com/2012/07/19/arizona-police-bust-the-biggest-coupon-fraud-ring-ever/#comment-592237817
And we wonder who was buying stuff as crazy as that Savvy Shopper Site looked? Apparently plenty of people? Who has $2000 to spend on coupons?!
hobbitgirl says
then why aren’t you spending it on food and coupons gotten the right way? I mean really, that makes NO SENSE!
nix12618 says
All they had to do was attend one of Jill’s couponing sessions to learn HOW TO DO IT RIGHT! Of course, they would then have no excuses…..!