Coupon shopping is gaining ever increasing popularity because more and more people are becoming aware of the deals and how they can save through getting coupons from online websites. However, along with the advantages that people are getting from the concept of coupons there are some drawbacks too. The most significant of all is the fraud involved with coupons. Counterfeit coupons or fake coupons are also being posted online to fool people into paying for deals that do not even exist and the coupons are not accepted at the stores they claim to belong to.

One should definitely be aware of the simplest of tips to differentiate between a real and counterfeit coupon deal found on the internet. Firstly, if the price of the product is marked higher than the usual price and the coupon seems to be offering a very generous deal, do think twice. Secondly, if the coupon offers a free product and not discounts, and it appears too good to be actually true; it probably is. These are the most common characteristics of a fraudulent deal.

Moreover, you should be aware that no retailers, stores or restaurants post their coupons in a PDF or JPEG format because that would mean that one can download the coupon over and over and print it as many times as he wants. That kills the purpose of a coupon, you know. So if you see a coupon that is in such a format that you can print it again and again, then before jumping into purchasing the deal try to trace the coupon link to the official page of the company or their Facebook page. The most reliable coupon services that can be conveniently traced back to the store's site are found on Coupons.com, Groupon.com and LavishCoupon.com.

In addition, if you wish to find a deal coupon on a service or item that has its own official website or page, then you must check it first because many companies now show their deals on their sites and the printing is specialized. Some websites ask for a registration to keep you posted about new coupons but legitimate websites never inquire about credit card details. Also, be alert that a website that is covered in ads and makes you go through more and more pop ups before finally reaching they coupon to print, is most probably fake. Further red flags that can indicate counterfeit coupons are that the fine print could be aligned wrong or in some cases the coupon will not have any UPC codes. At other times, there are no usage limits or special conditions written in smaller font like they usually are for the consumers. No conditions applied can make anyone suspicious. You might also come across frauds where there is a very long expiration date or at other times no expiration date at all.

Therefore, the strategy to protect oneself is to go to reliable websites that have been ranked well for their coupons deals and services. Also, the local newspaper has many coupon inserts in it which you can use instead of being fooled to pay online.