Free Doritios coupon warning

Thanks to Facebook, one set of bogus coupons has gone viral this summer with people sharing them with all their friends.

Thousands of Facebook members are receiving -- and sharing -- a coupon for a free $5 bag of Doritos.  It's good for a free bag of chips valued at up to $5, and is good all during 2010.

But it's a fake! And Frito Lay now says it is losing millions of dollars, as unknowing checkout clerks honor the bogus coupon and let shoppers have the bag of Doritos free of charge.

But remember this before you try it: Using this coupon is illegal. You are stealing from the grocery store.

Doesn't that Stink?

And from the Doesn't that Stink file, the fact that bogus coupons look more realistic all the time.

So how can you tell if one is fake? Simple: It's too good to be true.

Others include coupons for a  free $6 bottle of Bertolli olive oil, another for $4 off a $4 box of Quaker Oatmeal.  Some even offer a free $9 box of Tide detergent.

All are convincing fakes.

How to Tell the Difference

Legitimate coupons:

• Come with short expiration dates of just a few months.
• Typically are for a slight discount, or are "buy one get one free."
• Almost always require you to make a purchase.
• If printable, require you to download a coupon printer, so that you can print the coupon only once or twice.

Phony coupons tend to:

• Have no expiration date, or one a year away.
• Offer a free product with no strings attached.
• Let you print the coupon as many times as you want.
• Let you share the coupon with friends.

Companies do not give away millions of bags of their products, with no strings attached. In most cases a real coupon, allows you to print it only once from your computer and it can't be forwarded or copied.

So stick with legitimate sources, such as store websites, or sites like coupons.com and smartsource.com so you don't waste your money.

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