Shampooscam

To newspaper readers in New York City, Chicago and Philadelphia, the ad that promised a 50-c- saving on purchases of Essent Shampoo was nothing special. But to police authorities, it was the largest sting operation ever organized against coupon crooks.

The American Society for Industrial Security (A.S.I.S.), a Virginia-based association of company security officials, with help from district attorneys in New York and Chicago, was trying to catch people who fraudulently redeem coupons for shampoo, dog food and other products without buying the goods. No one knows the total take from this sort of nickel-and-dime thievery, but industry rumors range as high as $350 million every year. A.S.I.S. reasoned that since Essent does not exist, only thieves would turn in the chits. To maintain secrecy, it did not tell the publishers that the ad was phony.

The trap backfired when reporters from Advertising Age, a trade publication, began to ask questions. Their story resulted in red faces all around. Advertising Age insists that its "journalistic mission" required it to reveal the operation. Meanwhile, the authorities are still keeping close watch on the post office box in Prospect, Ill., where a few coupons have already been sent for redemption. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.