When it comes to saving money on your shopping, using coupons—especially for online shopping—can be a great way of saving a little money. However, it is important that all coupon users make sure to stick to the rules; coupon fraud is a very real thing, and you could end up in a whole lot of trouble if you aren’t careful to follow the rules!
What is Coupon Fraud?
When you use a coupon, be it a physical one or one that you have found online, you will likely be presented with a clear set of rules that you need to follow. Unfortunately, many people often make the mistake of trying—be it knowingly or not—to get around these rules. Though seemingly innocent in itself, coupon fraud is actually a very serious offence to commit and is a real form of fraud that is certainly not as “victimless” as it might seem to be.
As defined by the Coupon Information Corporation—the CIC—coupon fraud is seen in cases where “someone intentionally uses a coupon for a product that he/she has not purchased or otherwise fails to satisfy the terms and conditions for redemption”. By this logic, any use of coupons for purposes other than those which are explained in the coupon’s terms and conditions can be characterised as being coupon fraud. “Altered coupons are also covered as being coupon fraud, although this is almost always a deliberate form of coupon fraud; in some cases, coupon fraud can be carried out accidentally by customers who have misunderstood the terms and conditions.”says Christine brown, owner of a deals aggregating website.Similarly, companies can also be responsible for carrying out coupon fraud if they have “coupons for products they have not sold or that were not properly redeemed by a consumer in connection with a retail purchase”.
Everyone Loses Out Through Coupon Fraud
Coupon fraud is important for all coupon users to consider, due to the potential ramifications that it can have on everyone. Indeed, though it might seem like using coupons wrongly to get a good bargain might not have impacts for anyone other than the large companies—after all, they can afford it, right?—the long term impacts can actually be hard for everyone.When people commit coupon fraud, especially when it is done on a regular basis before the company offering the coupons can take action, the business selling the products will be losing out. Of course, businesses aren’t going to accept this, and will instead put up the price of the remaining stock to make up for the losses made through coupon fraud. As such, this will mean that the people that will be paying for coupon fraud will be the customers; the business won’t lose out in the long term, and you might even be paying more for your own shopping due to other people committing coupon fraud.
But that’s not all. If coupons are misused in local stores, especially if you are getting products with coupons that should not have been covered by the offer, the local business might not get reimbursed by the product manufacturer. This will impact small, local business’ profits, and if done on a regular basis may even mean that some workers will have to have their working hours cut—limiting the strength of the overall economy in your area.
Groups Dedicated to Coupon Fraud
People nowadays are getting increasingly savvy when it comes to saving money, and as such, it is not all that surprising that groups have now been established to help people commit coupon fraud. Admittedly, some of the users who are using these online forums may not realise that they are committing coupon fraud and may just think that they have found a lucky loophole in the rules; however, avoiding doing this is important for all coupon users. As such, if you are using coupons, by all means continue to use online forums or software that help you to find the best coupons—but always check the terms and conditions!
Be Wary of Coupon Fraud!
Coupon fraud can be committed accidentally, but with a little care, you are sure to be able to stay on the right side of the rules. Saving a few pennies on a product by using a loophole won’t be cost effective in the long term, so make sure to stick to the terms and conditions when shopping with coupons!