Investigators eventually determined that the men used the map to carry out coupon scams at more than 300 Walmart stores in ten states, amassing more than a quarter million dollars worth of formula.Īnd interestingly enough, Pohatcong police were called to the very same Walmart just two days later, where they arrested two other men who were found with more than 1,000 counterfeit baby formula coupons in their possession. Police also found a map in the men’s car, showing the location of other Walmarts throughout the region. Police who arrested the pair at a local Walmart said they had hundreds of counterfeit coupons for free Enfamil baby formula, and $5 off Similac formula. Police in Stuart have not connected the men they arrested with any known crime syndicate, but it may not be a coincidence that they fit the profile.īack in 2014, two men of Chinese descent from Brooklyn were arrested in Pohatcong Township, New Jersey. There have been several cases over the years in which men of Chinese descent, based in New York, travel the country buying baby formula with fake coupons. So did someone in New York take an Uber to Florida, and the men decided to do some shopping while they were there? Both listed “Uber driver” as their profession. Their booking forms list the men’s birthplace as China, and their current residence as Flushing, New York. There’s a good chance they might have, since the case fits the pattern of similar counterfeit coupon crimes that go back years. Zhang told police he “got the coupons from eBay, then said they were cut out from a magazine, and later said he got them from a friend”.īoth men were taken into custody, and investigators are now looking into whether they hit up any other local stores. The investigating officer reported finding more coupons in their pockets, and in their car. Police trailed the men as they left the store, and stopped them for a minor traffic violation. According to the incident report, a Walmart employee told police “she wasn’t sure if the coupons were valid” since they “looked different/smudged as if copied”. Investigators say the men were going through self-checkout with more than 100 cans of Enfamil powdered formula, and more than 100 coupons purportedly offering $10 off each can. 30-year-old Dejun Yan and 26-year-old Xu Zhang were nabbed Tuesday at a local Walmart. Police in Stuart, Florida are the latest to report the arrests of suspects trying to pass off fake baby formula coupons. How can anyone be sure about that? Because people keep getting arrested for it.

The only problem is, that formula is likely either stolen, tampered with, or purchased with counterfeit coupons. So there’s a market for discounted formula at flea markets, in inner-city bodegas or on eBay. Baby formula is an expensive necessity for many new parents.

Enfamil coupons walmart