Copying Coupons is ILLEGAL
One of the first things you need to know about printing coupons from the internet, is that you should NEVER, EVER copy them! Under no circumstances! This is illegal, and you will get caught, I guarantee! This illegal action is happening all over the place, and authorities are cracking down.
With most internet printable coupons, you are able to print two coupons per computer. You can do this by using your back browser after you print your first coupon. So, if you have two computers set up to your printer, YES you can print four coupons! Please note though, some coupons say one coupon per transaction. This means, you can only use one of the coupons.
For those of you that don’t know, each coupon that is printed through brinks has a unique series of numbers on it – along with the date and time that it was printed. It also has a 1 or a 2 to indicate if it was the first or second coupon printed from your IP address (www.veri-fi.com). After the original coupons are redeemed any other coupons with that exact same info come back from the manufacturer as fraudulent. There is a similar way of tracking for all coupons.
So please Folks, follow the rules, NO PHOTOCOPYING of coupons! You are doing something illegal, and NO product or overage is worth spending time in jail and having a criminal record for! Also remember, you are hurting those of us that follow the coupon policies, if these actions continue, soon all the stores will not allow any internet printable coupons!
~ Micki Streeter
http://www.midwestcouponclippers.net
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I’m so glad you wrote this.I’ve been banging this gong for a while.
Several weeks ago, I was at Walmart and this lady saw me with my coupons. She came up to me pretty as you please and started chatting, then began to hand me what I THOUGHT was a printed coupon for Starkist tuna. I noticed right away it was a copy. I told her that you couldn’t use those. She replied…wait for it… “I do it all the time, what are they gonna do to me?” I almost fell on the floor!!!
SO I told her how it was illegal, mentioned that the IP address numbers are traceable etc. She looked sorta peeved, then I ended with, “Well, I really don’t think going to jail over a can of tuna is worth it.”..She sighed then stomped off in a dash.
I wanted to warn Walmart about her but she took off so fast I could’t find her. At any rate, I was TOTALLY shocked!
Keep up the good work! Your blog is so cute. I’m in Kansas..mid-westerner here too! 😀 CHEERS!
*applause* Well said, Micki! I’ll be sharing this post for sure!
i haven’t done this, but I didn’t know it was illegal, so I may have done it in the future. Thank you for saving me from embarrassment & jail time.
I know you cannot photocopy and brinks will tell you in a heartbeat if you have printed it before unless the coupon resets. I do know that some coupons are in PDF form and some pop up the print window both which give you the option to choose how many copies you want to print. I have read before that on PDF coupons you are allowed to print as many as you want but wasn’t sure if that was accurate. Is it legal to print as many of the PDF coupons and the ones that prompt the printer options up on your screen? Thanks in advance for your advice and happy clipping
Brandie, If it is a pdf. that is fine, but I still recommend only doing two.
Great post. I’ve encountered fans who’ve stopped me in the store and proceeded to hand me “copied coupon. I just let them know it’s illegal, but a lot of them do not listen. You are right, it is not worth going to jail over a product.
Great Post! Shared it with my followers on Parga’s Junkyard! I get so upset when I see people using copied coupons!
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This is the exact reason my Walmart in Appleton WI does not accept any computer printed coupons at all…the Manager there states if the coupon is printed from a computer it is invalid and will not be honored…and the reason they gave is because of photo copying. I have even called corporate WalMart on this and was told it is the stores discretion to refuse. But the otehr Walmart in town does allow…I don’t get it.
I’m new to couponing and I was wondering if it illegal to copy target internet coupons with no serial number.
Yes, it is Terri. ANY coupons it is. They keep track of print limits. Good Question!