I saw a news report today that is unusual in that the scammer caught was a 22 year old college kid (okay, that is not unusual at all), a computer security student (that also doesn't surprise me) but that he is in the U.S. (Texas). Certainly there are scammers in the U.S., but they are more likely to operate outside the reach of law enforcement in other countries. They found him working at McDonald's.
In this same, it did not immediately appear that this kid benefited financially from his scam, but various companies lost some money as users cashed in very real-looking coupons and cashiers at the grocery stores accepted them. Now he's pleaded guilty and is facing up to three years. Such a waste.
Counterfeit coupons are a growing problem. It's more about saving money for groceries than a scammer making money, but scammers have been selling counterfeit coupons online for some time. Scammers will always find a way to make money illegally.
Some tips to keep in mind:
- Never pay money for a coupon.
- Only print coupons from a brand's Web site or other reputable sites. Here are a few to try: www.coupons.com, www.coolsavings.com, www.redplum.com.
- Look for special software to download that can ensure bar codes are printed correctly.
- To check if a coupon you want to use is counterfeit, visit the Coupon Information Corporation's Web site.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
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