h**********n
发帖数: 171 | 1 原来都是假滴
http://couponsinthenews.com/2013/10/21/man-faces-20-years-for-c
If you’ve ever wondered whether the multitudes of Kohl’s coupons available
on sites like eBay are the real deal (“Just 99 cents for 20 ‘$5 off’
coupons!”), it turns out at least several thousand of them that were once
available, apparently were not real at all.
A California man now faces up to 20 years behind bars, after admitting to
counterfeiting thousands of Kohl’s coupons and selling them online.
30-year-old Boi Quoc Vo of Anaheim, California was arraigned in federal
court last week, on a felony charge of trafficking in counterfeit goods. In
a plea agreement, he admitted to altering and selling Kohl’s coupons from
at least September 2011 to June 2012. The coupons in question, according to
court documents, were “electronic discount coupons issued by Kohl’s
Corporation to customers, which provided the customers discounts on Kohl’s
merchandise as a reward for the customers’ signing up for the Kohl’s email
marketing service.”
In other words, they’re the coupons that you get for free, for signing up
for Kohl’s emails. Each coupon prints out with a unique bar code, so they
can only be used once. But some unscrupulous members of Kohl’s email list
have long been suspected of using hundreds or even thousands of different
email addresses to generate enough unique coupons, that they’re able to
sell them in batches of 10 or 20 at a time on sites like eBay.
Vo apparently saved himself the trouble of creating multiple email addresses
, and is accused of going about it a slightly different way. “Using
document editing software,” his plea agreement reads, he allegedly “
altered the discount coupons to remove or change certain security features
that Kohl’s Corporation had included in those coupons to prevent their
duplication and repeated use.” That, in turn, “caused Kohl’s Corporation
store personnel to believe they were genuine,” when in reality, the
counterfeit coupons “could be reproduced in unlimited numbers at minimal
cost.” Plus, his coupons offered $10 off an in-store purchase of $10 or
more and 15% off an online purchase, while the current offers for those who
sign up are $5 and 10% off, respectively.
Vo allegedly sold the coupons on an unnamed “online auction website” using
several different accounts. The number of coupons involved was not
disclosed, but it’s estimated to be in the thousands. He did keep detailed
records of his transactions, so it is known that he pocketed around $93,000
from the scheme.
The obvious question is, why would anyone go to such lengths, to counterfeit
coupons that are so readily available? All it takes is an email address to
get a $5 off Kohl’s coupon. And all it takes is a pair of eyes to spot
other, even higher value, Kohl’s coupons just about anywhere you look – in
the newspaper, online, in your mailbox, etc.
The other question is how a single accused counterfeiter can end up facing a
likely federal felony conviction, while so many others doing the same thing
can get off scot-free. eBay recently adopted a new manufacturer’s coupon
policy that puts severe limits on the number of manufacturer’s coupons a
seller can offer, and bans the sale of “free item” manufacturer’s coupons
. But there is no such policy in force regarding retailer coupons. So for
coupons from Kohl’s and other stores, just about anything goes – including
, it seems, selling counterfeits.
Vo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine,
though his actual penalty is expected to be far less severe. Those who
bought coupons from him, meanwhile, don’t have to look far for another
source – there are plenty of other Kohl’s coupons available, and plenty of
other people selling ones that may or may not be legitimate, on eBay.
At least until they’re caught, too. | x*****n
发帖数: 1636 | 2 哪里有讲staples？
available
In
【在 h**********n 的大作中提到】
: 原来都是假滴
: http://couponsinthenews.com/2013/10/21/man-faces-20-years-for-c
: If you’ve ever wondered whether the multitudes of Kohl’s coupons available
: on sites like eBay are the real deal (“Just 99 cents for 20 ‘$5 off’
: coupons!”), it turns out at least several thousand of them that were once
: available, apparently were not real at all.
: A California man now faces up to 20 years behind bars, after admitting to
: counterfeiting thousands of Kohl’s coupons and selling them online.
: 30-year-old Boi Quoc Vo of Anaheim, California was arraigned in federal
: court last week, on a felony charge of trafficking in counterfeit goods. In
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