Admin
Mom always said clipping coupons was a great way to save money. But one Texas college student is alleged to have taken that penny-pinching lesson too far.
According to the FBI’s New York Field Office, Lucas Townsend Henderson, 22, has been charged with creating and disseminating fake online coupons for goods ranging from detergent to high-end electronics. He allegedly created fraudulent coupons designed to look like legitimate online print-at-home coupons available to consumers online at www.SmartSource.com.
These bogus coupons, which ranged from energy drinks, beer and cigarettes to more expensive products such as Xbox and PlayStations, used the “Powered by SmartSource“ logo, which is a trademark that belongs to News America Marketing, a subsidiary of Manhattan-based News Corporation.
In addition to creating and disseminating fake coupons, the complaint alleges Henderson also wrote tutorials in which he provided instructions on how to create counterfeit coupons using a computer.
Henderson has been charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
