警钟，滥用kohls胖子的下场# PennySaver - 省钱一族
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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’ cou
pons!”), it turns out at least several thousand of them that were once avai
lable, apparently were not real at all.
A California man now faces up to 20 years behind bars, after admitting to co
unterfeiting thousands of Kohl’s coupons and selling them online.
30-year-old Boi Quoc Vo of Anaheim, California was arraigned in federal cour
t last week, on a felony charge of trafficking in counterfeit goods. In a pl
ea agreement, he admitted to altering and selling Kohl’s coupons from at le
ast 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 f
or Kohl’s emails. Each coupon prints out with a unique bar code, so they ca
n only be used once. But some unscrupulous members of Kohl’s email list hav
e long been suspected of using hundreds or even thousands of different email
addresses to generate enough unique coupons, that they’re able to sell the
m 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 documen
t editing software,” his plea agreement reads, he allegedly “altered the d
iscount coupons to remove or change certain security features that Kohl’s C
orporation had included in those coupons to prevent their duplication and re
peated use.” That, in turn, “caused Kohl’s Corporation store personnel to
believe they were genuine,” when in reality, the counterfeit coupons “cou
ld be reproduced in unlimited numbers at minimal cost.” Plus, his coupons o
ffered $10 off an in-store purchase of $10 or more and 15% off an online pur
chase, while the current offers for those who sign up are $5 and 10% off, re
spectively.
Vo allegedly sold the coupons on an unnamed “online auction website” using
several different accounts. The number of coupons involved was not disclose
d, 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 othe
r, 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 p
olicy that puts severe limits on the number of manufacturer’s coupons a sel
ler can offer, and bans the sale of “free item” manufacturer’s coupons. B
ut there is no such policy in force regarding retailer coupons. So for coupo
ns 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, thoug
h his actual penalty is expected to be far less severe. Those who bought cou
pons from him, meanwhile, don’t have to look far for another source – ther
e 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.
on sites like eBay are the real deal (“Just 99 cents for 20 ‘$5 off’ cou
pons!”), it turns out at least several thousand of them that were once avai
lable, apparently were not real at all.
A California man now faces up to 20 years behind bars, after admitting to co
unterfeiting thousands of Kohl’s coupons and selling them online.
30-year-old Boi Quoc Vo of Anaheim, California was arraigned in federal cour
t last week, on a felony charge of trafficking in counterfeit goods. In a pl
ea agreement, he admitted to altering and selling Kohl’s coupons from at le
ast 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 f
or Kohl’s emails. Each coupon prints out with a unique bar code, so they ca
n only be used once. But some unscrupulous members of Kohl’s email list hav
e long been suspected of using hundreds or even thousands of different email
addresses to generate enough unique coupons, that they’re able to sell the
m 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 documen
t editing software,” his plea agreement reads, he allegedly “altered the d
iscount coupons to remove or change certain security features that Kohl’s C
orporation had included in those coupons to prevent their duplication and re
peated use.” That, in turn, “caused Kohl’s Corporation store personnel to
believe they were genuine,” when in reality, the counterfeit coupons “cou
ld be reproduced in unlimited numbers at minimal cost.” Plus, his coupons o
ffered $10 off an in-store purchase of $10 or more and 15% off an online pur
chase, while the current offers for those who sign up are $5 and 10% off, re
spectively.
Vo allegedly sold the coupons on an unnamed “online auction website” using
several different accounts. The number of coupons involved was not disclose
d, 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 othe
r, 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 p
olicy that puts severe limits on the number of manufacturer’s coupons a sel
ler can offer, and bans the sale of “free item” manufacturer’s coupons. B
ut there is no such policy in force regarding retailer coupons. So for coupo
ns 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, thoug
h his actual penalty is expected to be far less severe. Those who bought cou
pons from him, meanwhile, don’t have to look far for another source – ther
e 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.
