They often start out being sold online, but then unsuspecting consumers send copies to friends and pretty soon stores are overwhelmed with fake coupons. Some are rejected, embarrassing consumers and others are accepted, which rips off retailers.
Bud Miller keeps track of the fakes for the industry he says consumers can help put an end to it.
"There is no reason for consumers to buy coupons which the manufacturers are giving away for free," says Miller.
A big tipoff is the word "free." A computer generated coupon that says an item is free, is usually a fake.
Industry group that follows fake coupons: www.cents-off.com
