How Can You Tell If That Coupon Is Not Authentic

In parallel with the emerging e-commerce business, couponing has gained much popularity and utilization. Since its introduction in 1887, it has been used by many low-budgeted families to shop grocery and clothing at reasonable prices. With the passage of time, the craze of coupons has escalated to new peaks of freakiness as more than 90% of the online buyers crave for exciting discount vouchers and coupon codes. Such saving coupons have eased the task of maintaining an economical budget of shopping. Almost all sectors of mart like grocery, fashion, clothing, electronics, and restaurants serve customers with arrays of promotional coupons.

Unfortunately, the desire of earning more profits by deceiving the customers is trending nowadays. Before discovering counterfeit coupon in detail, pay a glance at the images of fake coupons. Can you spot few similarities in them like ambiguity in bar codes, improper website link, and no expiration date?

This fake coupon lacks website link and brand’s logo.
A regular customer can easily spot the graphics difference of the displayed and original product in the coupon.
The bar codes lacks pattering and are misprinted. This is a major fake alert of the coupon.
The discounted amount looks out of range. It’s rare to find the stores which serve customers with 75% off. Right?

Such scammed coupons are being circulated on the websites to target and fool the customers. Many online shoppers are suffering and complaining from being scammed by bogus coupon vouchers .

Now The Question Arrives, How Do Counterfeit Coupons Can Be A Nightmare For The Customers?

The Coupon Information Corporation (CIC) has elaborated the crime of coupon fraud by stating, "Whenever 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, when a retailer submits coupons for products they have not sold or that were not properly redeemed by a consumer in connection with a retail purchase; or when coupons are altered/counterfeited."

Whenever a person clicks to avail the coupon, certain personal information and back details are asked. This information can be maliciously used by agents. Clicking on fake websites can also drop some viruses on your system. Some worst scenarios can also occur like the payment submission of fake coupons to illegal websites.

There are many more harmful consequences for the careless usage of fake coupons. We felt the need for making you aware of the tactics of spotting the forged coupons. Let’s proceed with our objective.

How To Spot The Forged Coupons?

Rely On Reliable Coupon Sources

Many trading websites and apps are set up to serve people with thousands of global coupon links and information. Make sure you prefer a reliable and notable website. You can check the authenticity by reading the reviews and rate of customer retention on the websites. It’s better to directly remain in touch with the brand’s or company’s page on social media like Facebook, minimizing the chances of getting hoodwinked.

Never visit that deceitful websites which sell or copy coupons because coupons are itself a discount and gift for the loyal and subscribe customers. Why will any brand apply charges on it? Selling of coupons is an illegal cyber-crime fraud. Many scammers print coupons of brands and distribute them among the people on high charges to make pools of money. Be careful!

Validate The Coupon By Viewing The Logo Of The Brand

Companies are highly concerned about the meticulous display of their logos and posts. None of the brands can tolerate any misinformation in the name and official logo as it is their official marketing recognition and tactic. Bogus coupons do not have fine and crystal clear designs of the logos. They lack somewhere in the proper designing. The logo might look blurry, misplaced, and font out of size. Some of them also have typos or spelling. So before ordering anything, pay a clever eye on the phony coupons.

Make sure the coupon is printed or displayed with the origin of the website’s link. If the website shows error in displaying or redirects you to another page, immediately leave the page. The coupons must be affiliated with the original store or brand. Validate it by confirming the deal or code from the official website or by actually calling the team.

Read The Instructions On The Coupons Carefully

Also, brands are highly concerned about the correct and visible printing of barcodes on the coupons. Any ambiguity in the bar codes series and length is a sign of bogus alert. Lack of instructions and brand detail should make you question the authenticity of the coupon. Every coupon is accompanied with some guidelines.

Expiration Of Coupons Is Mandatory

All coupons, discount deals, and vouchers are made available for limited span. You cannot avail the coupons as a lifetime service. Brands carefully decide the expiration duration of coupon codes and then make sure that it gets banned after the expiration period. Dates are always stamped on the coupon vouchers. It is a sign of verifying a fraudulent coupon.

Don’t Bamboozle Yourself By Obeying The Urgencies Of The Coupons!

No expiry dates or short period of expiry creates a feeling of urgency among the shopaholics. Without giving a thought, they just click and order. Be mindful and don’t let the urgency fool you.

Question yourself that why would a notable store sell things on such low prices where the discount is delimiting their profits? High discounts are sometimes a sign of fraudulence.

Give A Prior Check To The Payment Mode

Scammer never takes a chance of risking themselves by getting traced back by the cops, hence payment mode is the basic tool of analyzing a faux coupon. If you are not comfortable with the payment mode or website, immediately drop the cart. Most people prefer uncommon payment websites where they can easily conceal their information.

With such tactics and knowledge, identifying a faux coupon is now a piece of cake. Isn’t it? Recently, a number of customers were deceived by fake coupons of 50% off on the instant purchases. Social media apps like Facebook can be called as a hub of hoodwinking coupon dealers. As an ethical person, you should report such bogus coupons to the authorities or official brads to take legal actions. Inform the authorities so that they can take actions of curtailing such spamming crimes. Your action can save customers from being duped as it will be surely a relief to everyone. Save yourself from becoming a victim of coupons fraud by tactfully checking it on a 360 validity.

Published on: September 10, 2020