Defense Commissary Agency officials are alerting customers about a recent rise in the use of fraudulent Internet or home-printed coupons. Commissaries accept Internet or home-printed coupons provided they have “dot-scan” bars below expiration dates or bar codes with Product Identification Numbers (PINs), and they aren’t for free products. “Counterfeit coupons are circulating on the Internet through auction services, message boards, e-mails and other means, causing millions of dollars in losses to the grocery industry,” said Scott Simpson, DeCA’s chief operating officer. DeCA officials said, to look out for the following warning signs concerning Internet coupons:
Coupons that don’t have either a dot-scan bar below the expiration date or a PIN and bar code.
Coupons printed on photocopy, plain white, photographic or card stock and coupons with fuzzy images or misspelled words.
Unusually long expiration dates.
Coupons sent in electronic format by someone other than a manufacturer or its authorized representative.
Coupons with printing on only one side.
Multiple coupons for the same product with identical PINs.
