Coupons are every shopper's best friend. They provide an efficient way of saving money on groceries, electronics, and everything. As much as we love a good deal, the world of coupons isn't always as innocent as it seems. Scammers have been very clever in taking full advantage of our desire for deals and coupons, creating a minefield full of coupon scams that can leave a clueless shopper feeling empty in the pocket and bitter.
Here's an exploration of some of the more common coupon scams, along with a little information on their mechanisms and what could be done to protect them from happening to you.
1. The Fake Coupon Frenzy
The most common coupon scam is the counterfeit coupon. Scammers produce fake coupons that almost resemble the original coupons; using professional design software, they create the appearance of being genuine. These counterfeit coupons are then spread through social media, coupon-sharing websites, or email blasts.
At first glance, they might appear legitimate. They also very often carry eye-catching discounts on popular brands to attract shoppers to print and present them at checkout counters. However, the retailers are trained to catch these forgeries, and getting caught using them results in rejection at the cash counter. You go home empty-handed, and worse, the store can flag your account for its future shopping experience.
It appears that according to research, close to 30% of coupon users have been victimized by counterfeit coupons at one point. That is a rather disturbing number and calls for care in finding legitimate deals.
2. The Subscription Snare
Another common scam involves "exclusive" coupons offered through subscription services. The scammer creates sites that promise you a veritable treasure trove of coupons if you sign up for a trial subscription; the catch is that to get access to the deal, you have to offer sensitive information or credit card details, leading to possibly unauthorized charges or identity theft.
Often, these sites look quite convincing, complete with user testimonials and great graphics. Once you join, you may find the promised coupons are nowhere to be found or only slightly better than what you could get from legitimate sources. In some cases, you reach the end of your free trial period and, without warning, are automatically charged a large fee and never receive the deals that you were promised.
So, always be careful about signing up for services that ask for your personal information. Only use websites and retailers you know you can trust, and always remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
3. The Imposter Brand
Scammers also disguise themselves as popular brands in an attempt to lure the gullible. You will receive an email or social media post claiming that a famous brand is offering some sort of special promotion or discount coupon that might sound tempting.
However, all these promotions are phishing sites targeted to scam your personal identity. When you enter your data, these fraudsters will mislead you through various false purchases, stolen identity, and several more fake activities.
It is recommended to check their website and social media websites if a promotion is published on any of them. It's all a scam in case no evidence of the promotion is found on its original official website or in any official social media profiles.
4. The Survey Scam
You might see ads touting "free coupons" if you complete a survey. Some good companies offer incentives to consumers who provide feedback, but most surveys are just an excuse for scammers to collect your personal information.
These surveys ask for personal data like your name, address, and phone number or even banking information in disguise as "verification." You end up with little or nothing after the survey - a headache and a storm of spam emails.
Do not fall for a survey that requires too much detail or that pays too much for too little. If you want to take part in real online surveys, you should join a reputable market research firm that is established and receives good reviews.
5. The Expired Coupon Trap
Scammers sometimes take advantage of the excitement of coupon hunters by posting expired or worthless coupons. These can be posted to social media, sent via e-mail, and boast unbelievable discounts. And that's the catch: coupons are either expired or good only in specific regions or stores.
When you reach the counter, these coupons are frustrating, and they decline them because of their expiration dates or the terms and conditions accompanying them. Worse, some scammers use this as a trick to drive traffic to their sites, hoping to sell you something in the process.
To avoid this kind of trap, always cross-check the expiration dates as well as the terms and conditions that accompany any coupon you want to use. If it seems dubious, then it is better not to pass.
Conclusion
Knowing well in advance about the prevalent coupons and using the most straightforward possible precautions, you can derive all the thrills about saving money without any benefit for fraudsters. The next time you stumble upon a coupon offer that appears too good to miss, invest some quality time verifying its genuineness- you won't regret it.
