I recently told you about a counterfeit “free Quilted Northern” coupon which was circulating via the internet and specifically Ebay. I contacted the Georgia-Pacific Consumer Response Center via email and asked them if their company released these coupons, if so how long ago, what was the expiration date and how many did they release; this was their response:
We have heard from consumers like you about the coupons available online. At this time, we are trying to determine the source of the coupons. We typically do not print coupons with redemption values that high, and we do not have any coupons of that type currently.
In addition, that friend of mine that got her hands on the fake Quilted Northern coupons is going to be mailing me one so I can post an actual picture of it on my site. She also contacted the Coupon Information Corporation regarding these coupons (she spoke with them today) and she was told that this is an issue they are aware of. Ebay is working with them to try to curb the selling/exchange of these fraudulent coupons.They also let my friend know that when you see coupons online for FREE merchandise, they are most likely fraudulent coupons so STAY AWAY!
In the past I wrote to Stauffers because I’d tried a product of theirs and absolutely hated it. In return, they sent me a voucher for a FREE replacement product. This had a gold seal on it and this is not something you’d be getting out of the Sunday paper! I suspect what may have happened is an unscrupulous person got their hands on one of those types of vouchers, scanned it and so began the “free Quilted Northern” debacle.
Coupon fraud affects us all in one way or another. People (and TV shows) that are out there, using fraudulent coupons, are essentially shoplifting. When stores lose money to shoplifting, they pass those losses on to the rest of us in the form of higher prices. It also makes manufacturers more reluctant to put out the higher value coupons and it makes stores more suspicious of coupons in general. Do your part to stop coupon fraud! If you suspect you may have a fraudulent coupon, please don’t try to use it.
