Coupons

How to be Familiar with a Fake Coupon?

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Fake coupons exist more than real coupons. The fact is that in this world there are more risks than gains. You have to be careful when it comes to coupons and its redemption. Due to extreme rise of mobile smartphones and shopping apps the retailers and businesses offer coupons to customers as one of their promotional methods. These coupons offer discounts on your particular purchase or list of purchases.

At the present time with one tap or click on the go you can get what you want right at your doorstep and with bonus or coupon codes as discounts. Top brands that offer coupons are:

  • Walmart
  • Amazaon
  • Kohl’s
  • Nordstroms
  • Macy’s

You can find latest coupon codes of retail shops here

Even online casinos are not far behind when it comes to coupons. You can copy the coupon code and get it redeemed at the cashier of the online casino where you can play slots and other casino games with no deposit and free spins coupon codes. Besides welcome match bonus, cashback bonus and other promotional codes are offered by these online casinos for players.

Like shopping stores of clothing, grocery and jewellery, online casinos also have Friday blackjack nights for you or for your Sunday slots tournaments to play. All said and done one most important thing to take care of while you go for coupons and rush to get the discounts on it, there are fake coupons too circulating around that can be disastrous if you are not aware of.

Find top 20 casino coupons here to play Slots, Blackjack, Roulette and Poker Games.

Find how to mark fake coupons? Detecting fake coupons online is a job of smart people. So know how to tell if a coupon is counterfeit.

Ways to Uncover Fake Coupons

Learn how can you identify that a coupon is fake or genuine? Here are a few ways.

1. Fake coupons have broken links

Fake coupons doesn’t link to the store or website where you want to redeem the coupon. For example if you see a killer coupon, like the Target 50% off above, and it doesn’t link directly to the Target website, or a legitimate coupon website, it’s almost surely fake. In the case of this Target coupon, it was floating around Facebook and being shared liked crazy. The link associated with the coupon pointed to a shady “survey” website that promised free products if you completed an online survey.

There was no mention of the 50% off coupon anywhere on their site and those who did print it and take into their local Target were quickly informed by store employees that it was indeed fake.

2. Fake coupons are Photocopied

Whenever you come across a printable coupon that has clearly been photocopied, stay away from fake coupon as it won’t be honored by the store. This falls back to the idea of making sure you get your printable in-store coupons from a valid source like Coupons.com or KrazyCouponLady.com. You’ll often find photocopied coupons shared on shady online forums and discussion groups, so beware of those and always be skeptical if the coupon looks copied.

3. Fake coupons look shady

Fake coupons will have something missing which you need to carefully look into. For example the print might be not right, there might be missing bar code, text font and size will be different from rest of coupons or its design might be something different. All the photoshop fake coupons will have something shady in them so be careful.

Facebook coupons are often fake
Facebook coupons are fake

4. Blacklisted Coupons

There is actually a database of counterfeit coupons that consumers can access for free. The list is created and kept updated by the Coupon Information Corporation and includes a ginormous list of fake coupons from manufacturers like Pepsi, Revlon, Proctor & Gamble, Kraft, Nestle, MillerCoors, and dozens more. So if you find a coupon that looks a little suspect, you can check out this online database and do a quick search to see if your suspicions are accurate.

5. Fake coupons have huge discounts

If you believe that any retail store is offering 100% discount on products then you are wrong. Business run commercially and are least bothered about customers wallet. So such coupons that offers large amount of discounts are generally fake. When it comes to paying money to save money it’s important to understand the risks. Not only are many coupons that you have to pay for fake, but legit versions are often found online for free. Paying for coupons on eBay is the biggest culprit.

While there are many legit coupon sellers on eBay, there are also a few bad ones that will happily rip you off. Pay attention to the sellers feedback rating to determine their legitimacy and avoid coupons that appear too good to be true.

6. Missing Expiry Date

Always read the expiry date of the coupons. The fake coupons will have missing expiry date details on it. Also, if a printable in-store coupon has no expiration date on it, you’d be wise to tread lightly as it stands a great chance of being fake.

7. Freebies on coupons

There is no such thing as free on this earth, its common sense. If the coupon promises to give you a free product after you register with the website offering the coupon, you should run the other way quickly. These types of coupon offers have been floating around Facebook and Twitter a lot recently and you need to be aware of the risks.

This will lure you by asking you to follow certain prompts and register yourself to an unknown site where you will again be asked to fill your credit card information and get the freebies. Product never arrives and now they’ve got your credit card number. Avoid these fake coupons and beware of them.

8. Coupons are not transferable

Do not purchase inserts from coupon-clipping services, through Facebook, on Internet auction sites or forums. It’s likely the inserts were obtained illegally or stolen, or are counterfeit. Coupons are not transferable. Selling them to third parties violates most manufacturer redemption policies, voiding the coupons. It’s in the fine print. Never pay for grocery-store coupons. Only clip coupons from legitimate sources, such as the newspaper, that offer them for free.

9. Check the addresses

Remember to check the addresses mentioned in the coupon. 97% of coupons are processed through a clearinghouse. Not through the Manufacturer themselves. If the address shows the manufacturer’s name and a mailing address, then be cautious. If you are not sure, you can call the Manufacturer. They will gladly let you know what is valid and what is not.

10. Finally report if you find a fake coupon

If you’re a victim, file a complaint with your state government helpline numbers. For example if you are in Florida you can head to the Florida Attorney General’s Office at MyFloridaLegal.com, or call the state’s fraud hotline at 866-966-7226. Make reports to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Response Center at FTC.gov, 877-382-4357, or to the United States Postal Inspection Service at 800-275-8777.

Fake coupons
Fake coupons

Why to use coupons?

  • Coupons do benefit consumers and customers. You can save a good amount of money when using coupons to buy their necessities. Coupons offered to products you regularly buy could mean you’re discounted by purchasing goods in bulk within the validity period of the coupon. It’s recommended particularly on the goods that have long shelf-life and being used daily such as soaps, shampoos, tissues and the like. When you buy in bulk, you save money and time going to stores again and again.
  • Many times one cannot afford a product you long to have unless its price is lowered down. Using coupons gives you the opportunity to avail products that seem to be too high to be reached. Taking advantage of your voucher will significantly help you acquire items you really want at a discounted price.
  • You also save money when using coupons Even 10% off from every item you buy is already a good saving, especially on expensive items. Also, discounts accumulated from purchases, whether a mere 5% off or lower, are much higher even when it seems nonessential at first. Therefore, no matter how small the discount your coupon gives, if it gets accumulated, then you get to save and spend little.
  • By offering coupons even business owners benefit as they keep and retain their old buyers while attracting new ones. Almost everyone is always after which stores offer them great discounts or stores that can help them save. As a business owner if you give coupons, customers will be attracted to visit your store more often and purchase more items. Another benefit of a coupon is that it serves as a form of making your products or business known. Your costs for advertising on other platforms can be reduced since coupons will play an advertising role as well.
  • As a business owner in your coupons, you can include your business name, address and other vital information customers need to know. Through this, your business will be recognized with discounts or freebies that will surely attract more customers and sales.

These tips come from the couponing experts, and will help you recognize false coupons that you may witness on the web.

– Resist your common sense while dealing with irresistible offers
– Check whether coupons are on a free item
– Issued coupons without mentioning expiration date
– Coupons are not associated with the official site
– The coupon is on the CIC’s blacklist http://www.couponinformationcenter.com/psa-list.php

Have you ever tried to use a fake coupon and were denied? If so, which one of the above fake coupon categories did it fall into?

Okay, we will tell you now, a few ways to save while shopping grocery items without clipping coupons. We said groceries since it has the largest share in the budget of many of us.

– Buy in bulk
– Take part in clearance sale
– Shop outside the aisles
– Follow ads on TV, radio, and billboards
– Try at Grocery Outlets and discount stores near you

Chuck a cheese coupons
Chuck e cheese coupons

The important thing is to spot right deals at the right time and right place so that you need not spend hours on printing or clipping coupons. Planning ahead and mind little issues will make the most difference.

Following our blog can save you 100s if not 1,000s of dollars. Peruse different sections of WinMeNot.com and you’ll find lots of game reviews, playing guides, offers and deals for top casinos online in the United States. Choose any casino bonus codes to play for fun or enter into real money games with online casino promo codes featured on this site. After all WinMeNot.com is a platform where you can learn and earn together. So, enjoy!

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