This new printable coupon for .75 off one Reach toothbrush features a Walmart logo and states “Available at Walmart.” However, buried in the fine print: Redeeming this coupon anywhere other than Walmart constitutes coupon fraud.
South Carolina coupon insert reseller ring busted
Authorities in South Carolina have arrested four people involved in a coupon insert theft and resale ring. One of the people is an officer who resigned from the sheriff’s office once the theft was uncovered..!
“Glitches” – the new term for coupon fraud
Over the past couple of months, a new breed of coupon community has emerged online. “Glitch” groups are devoted to exploiting errors in coupon scanning for the purposes of using a high-value coupon for one product on another. This kind of coupon “decoding” was prevalent before coupons transitioned from the UPC-A barcode to the newer […]
Walmart cashier busted for falsely redeeming $255K in coupons… for herself!
I never cease to be amazed at the measures some people take to commit coupon fraud. Recently, a Walmart employee pled guilty to running a coupons-for-cash scheme. Her plan? She brought coupons to work that she cut out of the paper, then exchanged the coupons for cash that came into the store… to the tune […]
TLC’s Extreme Couponing returns for a new season… with more counterfeit coupons?
Georgia-Pacific has already confirmed that this coupon is counterfeit. So why are Extreme Coupon shoppers still using it? Extreme Couponing is back again. If you’ve missed the past media coverage regarding fraud on the show, to date manufacturers have confirmed that over 230 counterfeit coupons were used on past seasons of Extreme Couponing, including free-product […]
Tampa Tribune: “The High-Stakes Game of Saving”
Today’s Tampa Tribune has a story about the coupon industry reacting to coupon fraud and misuse: …grocers, product makers and coupon publishers gear up a full-fledged anti-corruption drive just as American families are couponing more than ever. New bar code technologies and anti-fraud software systems are starting to appear in stores, all meant to patch […]
Retail coupon fraud ring at Walmart
A couple of weeks ago, a story of retail coupon fraud at a Michigan Walmart hit the news. Employees were accused of utilizing coupon fraud to purchase around $100,000 worth of merchandise, which they later sold on the black market. Today’s Michigan MLive has new details about the case: Boulter believes the group bought in […]
Time.com: “Maybe there could be a new show… ‘Extreme Counterfeiting.'”
Time.com mentions the 200 counterfeit Tide coupons used on TLC’s Extreme Couponing in a new story today: At the same time TLC is expanding its “Extreme” programming, more questions are popping up regarding whether all the strategies utilized in “Extreme Couponing” are legit. Last month, it was revealed that coupons used on the show for […]
Confirmed: Counterfeit coupons used on TLC’s “Extreme Couponing”
When TLC premiered the first episode of “Extreme Couponing” in 2011, coupon shoppers around the country took to the web to voice their concerns about the rampant coupon misuse and fraud depicted on the show. Some of the show’s shoppers appeared to be using coupons for products they didn’t buy (and later admitted doing so) […]
Coupon fraud alert: Counterfeit Free Honeysuckle Turkey coupons being sold on Ebay
Hopefully none of you guys are buying coupons on Ebay anyway, but this one’s been in the news today. Apparently, there are fake coupons being sold on Ebay for a FREE Honeysuckle Turkey up to $25 value. The CIC has issued an alert for retailers to look at and determine whether or not a Honeysuckle […]
TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” update: Jaime Kirlew admits barcode matching, fraud
In April, coupon shoppers from around the country worked together to expose apparent coupon fraud on an episode of TLC’s “Extreme Couponing,” in which shopper Jamie Kirlew appeared to use coupons for products that she did not buy. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal today, Jaime Kirlew admits she did indeed use coupons […]
Was coupon fraud shown on TLC’s Extreme Couponing?
To my regular audience, we’ll get back to grocery coupon talk very soon. However, this is an issue that cannot be ignored, as it affects the perception of all coupon shoppers who use coupons in an ethical manner. Many readers across multiple, respected coupon sites and blogs contributed to this report, and I will try […]
A tale of coupon “fraud”…
I received email today from readers asking how to know when a coupon is fraudulent. It’s a good question, because while the majority of internet coupons are completely valid to use, counterfeit coupons do occasionally make their way onto the net. Usually, the rule of thumb is that if a coupon is offered on the product manufacturer’s website, or on an authorized coupon distribution website, it’s legitimate. But…