Ever wonder if a printable coupon you run across is a Fake?? Sometimes people will forward an awesome coupon to you via email and your first thought is “Awesome”! But, most of the time, those coupons that are too good to be true are actually fake. So how do you know for sure?
The Coupon Information Corporation actually has a page dedicated to alerting you to Fake Coupons. And Fake coupons are added to that list all of the time.
If you didn’t know, creating counterfeit coupons is actually against the law. And you can get jail time for it. So, it is definitely something that the CIC takes seriously. They even offer cash rewards for people who have information leading to the conviction of those creating the Counterfeit Coupons.
How Can You Tell on Your Own if a Coupon is Real or Fake?
1- If a coupon is sent in a PDF, (meaning you can print as many as you want) almost always means it is a fake coupon created by someone other than the actual company. The actual company will either host the coupon on their website, fb page or through a coupon generator like Coupons.com. If you are ever unsure if a .pdf is real, chances are it isn’t- unless you have seen me post it on the site. I will only post .pdf coupons that come directly from the manufacturer!
2- If the coupon is an extremely high value coupon, and seems to good to be true, it probably is. Same goes for printable FREE coupons. Free Printable coupons aren’t always fake, but the majority of the time they are- which is why you will notice a lot of grocery stores do not accept them.
If you get away with using fake coupons, that hurts everyone in the long run. Stores will not get reimbursed for the Fake Coupons. So, they may decide to not accept ANY printable coupons in the future, or stop accepting coupons altogether. So, let’s spread the word about fake coupons and just use the ones that help us save money and make the stores money in return!
Karen
Good information. I have been a victim of fake coupons and it is embarassing.
Heather
I don’t usually print off coupons because I’m scared of this happening so I’m sure I miss out on a lot of great savings. Thanks for sharing this is great info.
Leesa
Wow great info! Thanks
Erica
I haven’t been victim of fake coupons, but I have faced increased scrutiny of my printed coupons from time to time. One store in town doesn’t like that I print them in black & white (I don’t like to waste the more expensive colored ink). It is frustrating, and it doesn’t help that a certain TV show essentially supports coupon fraud.
Heather
A few years ago I was using coupons I printed from the internet for $10 Gift Card from Target Pharmacy. I used one every time I filled a prescription, then found out after using quite a few that they were fake. I was SO embarrassed and felt really badly. I had no idea! Apparently Target had no idea for a long time either, because they were taking them without a problem.
Penny
Great info! Thanks!