Remember my post about how couponing fraud and ebay sellers are being ignored?
(HERE'S THE STORY --
Questionable Coupons Used on June 11 TLC Extreme Couponing + Ebay fake coupon auctions)
Well finally someone is holding an eBay seller accountable over allegedly selling counterfeit coupons via eBay and other online sources.
Operators of the SavvyShoppersSite were arrested in Arizona.
Let me reiterate my stance on purchasing coupons from any coupon clipping service -- I do not promote it, including so called legitimate services. I use to but I no longer encourage it or suggest it as an option.
HERE'S THE P
PHOENIX, Arizona- Robin Ramirez, Amiko (Amy) Fountain, and Marilyn
Johnson were arrested by the Phoenix Police Department which executed
search warrants at three locations as part of a multi-agency investigation of an
alleged organized criminal enterprise that sold counterfeit coupons via
www.savvyshoppersite.com, eBay, and other Internet venues. Four properties
and 21 vehicles were seized during the raid. If convicted on all charges, the
defendants face prison time and numerous financial penalties, including, but not
limited to, fines and restitution.
Bud Miller, CPP, Executive Director of the Coupon Information Center said,
“We’d like to thank Chief Daniel Garcia and Sergeant David Lake of the Phoenix
Police Department for their leadership on this case, as well as the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, ICE, FinCen, US Postal Inspectors, and Maricopa
County Attorney’s Office for their efforts on this case. This investigation is an
excellent example of the public-private partnership made possible by the efforts
of CIC, The Hershey Company, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and other CIC
Members. We look forward to all the facts coming to light and for justice being
served to any individuals and organizations who may have created, sold or used
counterfeit coupons or otherwise violated the victims’ intellectual property rights.”
“This case clearly demonstrates the dangers of purchasing coupons on the
Internet, whether it is from independent websites, e-mail or from online auctions,”
Miller added. “Coupon buyers expose themselves to the possibility of becoming
involved with counterfeits, stolen property or other criminal activities. They may
also expose themselves to additional risk by providing their names, home
addresses and financial information to organized crime rings.”
Coupons are a great way to save money, but, as with anything of value,
can be subject to abuse from time-to-time. Fortunately, consumers can easily
protect themselves by following a few simple guidelines:
1. Never pay money for coupons or coupon related “opportunities”
2. Beware of invalid disclaimers, such as “You are not paying for the
coupons, but for the time and effort it took to clip them.”
3. Be wary of any coupon emailed to you by anyone but the
manufacturer or its authorized distributor.
4. If a coupon is visible on a computer screen, it is probably counterfeit.
5. Free product coupons are seldom, if ever, distributed on the Internet.
6. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
More information about coupon fraud is available at the Federal Trade
Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/invest/inv06.shtm) or
the Coupon Information Center (CIC), the coupon industry’s watchdog group:
www.couponinfomationcenter.com
I hope this will be a trend and more eBay sellers will be prosecuted for selling fake coupons.
It's not an unreasonable request that eBay shut down these auctions since they do pride themselves in being one of the nations top 12 most ethical online e-commerce sites.