Just as people are looking to save a few dollars, counterfeit coupons are popping up in e-mail boxes around North Texas.
Shoppers such as Diane Pauley are rarely empy-handed when they head into a grocery story.
"My friends and family would probably call me a coupon queen," she said.
But even the savviest of shoppers are being duped by online, printable coupons.
Examples are bogus coupons for a free one-pound block of Velveeta cheese and a free roll of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil.
"If a person fraudulently uses one of these coupons, and they know the coupons are fraudulent, than they can be liable as part of the crime,” Dallas police Senior Cpl. Janice Crowther said.
But police said customers are more likely trying to use the counterfeit coupons without knowing they're fake.
Looking at the phony coupons, shopper Naomi Bloom said, "How would anybody know that they were any different?"
Police said several red flags can alert shoppers to bogus coupons, such as no expiration dates or no limit on how many times you can print the coupon.
"If you look at them, consider the source and realize very rarely is something free, more than likely, you won’t get caught up in one of these scams," Crowther said.
