Is It Counterfeit?
Do you know counterfeit coupons are out there just as much as counterfeit money? Do you know how to tell if it is? There are a few different ways that I use to tell.
1). If it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is. In the last few months there was a counterfeit coupon getting around for $8/1 Jumbo pack of Huggies. This was being passed email to email. One person probably received it and thinking it was a good deal passed it along and so one. If you use a coupon that is counterfeit not only can you get in BIG trouble, the store cant get their money back from the company. That is why so many stores are putting more and more limits on what coupons you can use.
2). If you receive it in a email and its not from a company or you can print unlimited copies then it probably is counterfeit. Most company’s now use what is called Bricks coupons. That is why you can usually only print 2 coupons from places like Coupons.com. This is not the way all the time. Once and awhile a company will put out a PDF coupon that doesn’t have a limit on it when you go to print it. This will only be offered either on their web page itself or on their Facebook page.
3). You can always check to see if it is in the CIC databse. The CIC stands for Coupon Information Corporation. They keep track of all the counterfeit coupons that have been used at stores. If you don’t see a coupon on this list doesn’t mean that it is not a counterfeit coupon, it just means that they haven’t seen it yet.
4). When in doubt throw it out! The few bucks that you might save is not worth getting in to trouble, even if you didn’t know for sure.
I am always happy to answer any questions that you might have. If I don’t know the answer I will do my best to find it for you.
