Coupon Fraud: $8/2 Crest Toothpaste Coupon

Everyone is looking to save, but using coupons that are fake is not the way to do so. Using a coupon that was not made by the manufacturer can land you in jail and with thousands of dollars in fines. Coupon fraud is quickly becoming a hot trend, but don’t jump the band wagon unless you are ready to suffer some very serious consequences.

Even if you were unaware of a coupon being a fake and use it at your local store, you can still serve jail time and pay huge fines, so be careful of where you get your coupons. I tend to only use coupons from my local Sunday Newspaper and from the printable coupon sites that I have used and trusted for years- Coupons.com, RedPlum, Coupon Network orSmartSource.

Here are a few tips to spotting a fake coupon….

1. You are able to print multiples of the same coupon- most legitimate printable coupon sites will only allow you to print 2 from the same computer. Getting an email with a sheet full of coupons to print or a PDF file of a coupon should tell you right away this coupon is not legit.
2. The deal is too good to be true- if the coupon is making an item completely FREE before it is even on sale, is a good sign it’s not legit.
3. It expires months or even years from now- most coupons are only good just a few weeks. So when you get a coupon that expires several months from now or even years, you know it is a fake.

 Here is the latest fake coupon…..

Manufacturer: P&G

Brand: Crest

Item: On any two 7.8oz

Value: $8.00

Expires: 6/18/2012

Bar Code: 0037000-194131

Thanks for this information  CIC!