Who is Lori Ann Talens? All about the woman behind coupon fraud in ABC's The Con

The astonishing Lori Ann Talens coupon fraud story is all set to be revisited and explored in the upcoming episode of ABC's highly arresting true-crime series, The Con. It will arrive on ABC this Thursday, August 25, 2022, at 10.00–11.00 PM EDT. The episode, titled The Coupon Con, will also be available on the popular streaming platform Hulu the very next day.

Reportedly, the shocking real-life tale of fraud dates back to 2016. Lori Ann Talens, a woman from Virginia Beach who masterminded the biggest coupon fraud in American history, received a sentence of 12 years of imprisonment.

Since ABC dropped the news of the upcoming episode chronicling Talens' rattling story, the audience has been eagerly waiting to find out about the architect of the coupon fraud, Lori Ann Talens.

Let's jump right in to learn about Talens ahead of ABC's brand new episode of The Con.

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Lori Ann Talens's husband was involved in the fraud too

Reportedly, Lori Ann Talens is nearly 42 years old, originally from Norfolk, Virginia. She is the mastermind behind the largest coupon fraud scheme in the history of the United States.

Lori was an entrepreneur and a young mother living in Virginia Beach when she strategized the coupon fraud scheme. She is married to Pacifico Talens, Jr., who has also been an active part of the fraud. The couple has three children together.

The couple reportedly seemed to have a perfect life together. But everything changed after Lori Ann began her fake coupon scheme in 2016. During this period, she was on bedrest after giving birth to their third child.

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During the investigation, authorities seized almost $1 million worth of counterfeit coupons from Talens' residence(Image Via WRIC/Google)

As stated in the court documents, roughly between April 2017 and May 2020, Talens started operating a highly complicated coupon scheme, utilizing different apps and social media sites, including Telegram and Facebook, to contact enthusiastic people and groups under the false pretext of selling them real coupons.

The mastermind used to operate everything online under the name "Masterchef." She used a computer in her home to create an array of inauthentic coupons. The fake coupons were almost undetectable. Talens used several parcel delivery services and the US postal service to ship her fake coupons.

Reportedly, her husband was aware of his wife's fraudulent activities and actively took part in it, following his wife's direction through various tasks. As a result, he also profited from the scheme on a large scale.

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Reportedly, the falsity of their scheme came to light when one of their customers made a report regarding them to the Coupon Information Center or CIC. From there, everything began to fall apart for the couple. It was then revealed that their fake coupon scheme made approximately $31.8 million in losses for manufacturers and retailers across the United States.

Reportedly, on September 14, 2021, Lori Ann Talens received a sentence of 12 years behind bars for her crime, and her husband, Pacifico Talens Jr., received a sentence of 7 years of imprisonment for being an active accomplice in the coupon fraud scheme.

Acting US attorney for the Eastern Unit of Virginia, Raj Parekh, said while talking about the case in an interview:

"This massive counterfeit coupon scheme harmed consumers, retailers, and manufacturers nationwide, and the economy at large. The sentences imposed in this case illustrate the serious consequences that criminals can face in EDVA for carrying out these sham get-rich-quick schemes."

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Don't forget to watch The Con's upcoming episode, The Coupon Con, arriving on Thursday, August 25, 2022, at 10.00–11.00 PM EDT, exclusively on ABC and the next day on Hulu.