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A promoter sells a job seeker a business opportunity selling coupon
certificate booklets. The job seeker is supposed to sell the booklets for $20
to $50 each. The booklets contain 20 to 50 certificates, each of which can be
redeemed for $10 worth of grocery coupons. That makes each booklet
"worth" between $200 and $500 in coupons. To redeem the certificates for
coupons, the consumer must complete and mail a form, select 30 to 50
products from a list and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope and a
processing fee.
How it Works
In theory, the job seeker should make big profits selling the booklets to
consumers. And consumers should save big money by using the coupons
when they buy the groceries.
Reality Check
In reality, the promoter is the only one who makes money. If you decide to
spend several hundred to several thousand dollars to buy the certificate
booklet distributorship you will probably lose money because inflated
earnings claims never pan out. Plus, consumers who pay out substantial
processing fees and postage for coupons lose money because they can clip
coupons for themselves from their newspaper.
A related scam centers on coupon clipping. Promoters make overblown
promises about the income potential for consumers working at home
clipping coupons. These claims sound appealing, but they are
unsubstantiated at best and bold lies at worst. Sometimes, fraudulent
promoters use coupons clipped by consumers to fill orders from other
consumers who redeem the coupon certificates. Many manufacturers have
policies that do not allow coupons to be transferred. That is, the coupons
that are being sold may not be redeemed by the retailer or manufacturer.
