Albany Herald

ALBANY, Ga. — Forging coupons that let him get products for steep discounts — including some for free — resulted in an Albany man being jailed, a Dougherty County Police Department report states.

Marvin Hallock, 42, faces five counts of felony forgery for using a DVD and a computer to print out forged product coupons, Dougherty Detective Sgt. Chad Kirkpatrick said.

“He confessed to making the forgeries,” Kirkpatrick said. “I’ve been here 11 years and this is the first time I heard of anyone forging coupons.”

According to Kirkpatrick, there is money in the scheme. This is how it works, according to information from Kirkpatrick. Fake coupons are printed for a product such as Maxwell House Coffee. The fake coupon is good for $9 off on a product that Walmart sells at $8.98. The can of coffee is free to the forger.

Kirkpatrick said that Hallock went to Walmarts in North Carolina and Florida, using the bogus coupons to fill his trailer with coffee, dog food, soda, sweet tea, paper towels and more items at deep discounts or at no cost to him.

When he returned to Albany, police said, Hallock would take the trailer to a flea market to sell the items. He was caught at Kitty’s Flea Market when a tip was called in to authorities, Kirkpatrick said.

At Kitty’s, Hallock had a trailer with 401 items that if purchased for the real prices would have cost him $1,996.68 to acquire, Kirkpatrick said. Hallock had 185 coupons at his home for different manufacturers that totaled $1,082.50, police said.

“He said he paid $1,200 for the products,” Kirkpatrick said. “But I know it was a lot less than that.”

According to Kirkpatrick, Hallock learned about the DVD forgery scam from another inmate in that Dougherty County Jail. Kirkpatrick’s eyes narrow when he says, “I’m looking for that guy.”

Walmart security has been notified and is also investigating, Kirkpatrick said. Anyone who has any other information on Hallock or coupon forgery should call county investigations at (229) 430-6600. Merchants should pay attention to coupons to make sure they are authentic.