Man arrested in coupon forgery scheme - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Man arrested in coupon forgery scheme

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By Dave Miller - email
Hallock's coupons looked quite real, but they were fake Hallock's coupons looked quite real, but they were fake

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If you are a store owner, you not only have to be on the look out for counterfeit cash.

Now counterfeit coupons are being used to steal thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.

An Albany man is in the Dougherty County jail charged with five counts of felony forgery.

Investigators say he was making his own coupons, and redeeming them at Walmart's from North Carolina to Florida .

Marvin Hallock got the idea for counterfeiting coupons from another inmate while he was in prison. Investigators say when he got out, an inmate sold him a computer disk to make phony coupons, and he went into business.

Dougherty County Police Detective Chad Kirkpatrick said "This is a Maxwell House Coffee for nine dollars off. You can get it at Walmart for $8.98."

Investigators go through some of the hundreds of coupons they took off 42 year old Marvin Hallock.

17:39:41 Kirkpatrick said "When we caught him he had approximately 180 total coupons from I believe 33 different vendors, different companies."

And they found many more coupons at his home, and they are all counterfeit. Police say he was making them.

Kirkpatrick said "Purina Dog Food. They are around $7 and some change. It's $8 off."

Police got a tip about what Hallock was up to, and found him at Kitty's Flea Market unloading a trailer full of products, ready to sell them.

He had receipts from several Walmarts across the Southeast, where he had cashed his counterfeit coupons to buy thousands of dollars in products for almost nothing.

Kirkpatrick said "He's traveling from Florida to North Carolina. The load we actually caught him on he advised us he had actually purchased all of that merchandise at different Walmart locations in North Carolina."

Investigators say Hallock was also selling merchandise on Craigslist he got with phony coupons.

Kirkpatrick said " A bag of Skittles. Any 16 ounce bag for $2 off. A bag of Skittles is a dollar and change."

Hallock told Investigators he bought a computer disc showing how to make the phony coupons from another inmate he met in prison. Walmart officials have been notified and they say they have sent a lookout to all their stores warning about this operation.

Hallock has confessed the entire counterfeit coupon operation to Police, and he is being held in the Dougherty County jail now.

Dougherty County Police are asking that if you have bought merchandise from Hallock, to give them a call at 430-6600. Other retailers should also be aware of these counterfeit coupons, and be on the lookout for them.

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