This image was sent to me and I thought it was very interesting. The Tampa Tribune is offering a reward for information that stops people from getting newspapers in unauthorized ways (i.e. stealing them). They’ve even set up a webiste page to accept information turning in sellers.
Long time MSM friends know that I don’t support buying or selling coupons for several reasons.
(1) When we buy coupons we are paying for something that is free with the purchase of a newspaper.
(2) Many coupon sellers obtain their coupons in less than honest ways. Many times they steal (or have a newspaper employee steal) the newspapers to sell the inserts from them. That’s why many stores and boxes have coupon-less newspapers.
(3) I’ve seen reports of people paying for coupons only to get copied printables or even flat out fake coupons.
I’ve heard stories of people meeting to sell inserts with vans full of newspapers- newspapers that aren’t even scheduled to be delivered for a few days! Clearly they didn’t get them in an authorized manner.
If newspapers begin cracking down (and I hope they do!) on theft of coupons and newspapers- it may be the ones easier to go after are the ones buying and redeeming the stolen inserts…and that could possibly mean charges of receiving stolen property- or even worse Dealing in Stolen Property, which in Florida is a Second Degree (F2) felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine….regardless if the item is a 1/100th of a cent valued coupon or not….
So just a thought before we hope on the buying coupons train…and I know it’s tempting! With that HOT Barilla Pasta Sauce deal at Harris Teeter, my area didn’t get the Barilla coupon so I was sorely tempted to give in but I knew I couldn’t and so I will head to Harris Teeter coupon-less and pay 80¢ a jar after catalina!
Another organization, the Coupon Information Center is looking for information specifically about Facebook Groups that sell coupons or promote coupon fraud.
We’ve already seen Ebay make a change last year (although I think it was not really a strong enough change) on the coupon selling policy.
What do you think?
In what way would it be fraud for Joe in Texas to send Mary in Delaware, 10 coupons Joe got and can not use?
Some people pay $2.50 per paper to get alot of coupons. How is that fraud. There is a wide definition of fraud.
Yes, printing 20 coupons at Office Depot is fraud but store limits are set and not many people are going to have 3-4 computers to be able to print more than 2, so we don’t see the fraud in alot of it.
Not sure where it says that it’s fraud to give a coupon to a friend- it talks about selling coupon inserts and stealing inserts….
the problem I have is- it’s legal to kill your unborn baby , but illegal to buy/sell coupons? also the ones that say one per person-this means if you have say 6 kids-you may as well give up. lots of stores let you use 4 like coupons regardless of what it says. also you can receive endless foodstamps ect. from gov. and it is legal-but buy coupons and off to jail you go. I think the fine print on coupons is to protect from people that go overboard, say 35 jars of sauce in one trip. I know a lady that knows someone who works for newspaper and gets inserts out of papers that are to be recycled. they prob. don’t like that either . if they are going in the trash who cares?