There is a coupon circulating the internet for a FREE bag of Doritos...in fact it has been forwarded to me by one of my friends. However, it is a fraudulent coupon that someone created and it is not authorized by Frito-Lay (the company that makes Doritos).
What Does That Mean?
Basically, it means that if you use this coupon at a retailer, the retailer will NOT be paid for the value of the Doritos that you purchased. They will lose money, since they accepted a fraudulent coupon. AND...sometimes if they lose enough money, they will tighten their coupon policies to make it difficult to redeem legitimate free coupons.
I have already run into a problem at my local Kroger while trying to redeem a real coupon for a FREE chocolate milk. They would not accept my coupon, since it was an internet printed freebie.
How to Tell if It's a Fake Coupon?
Once I heard about the coupon, I was immediately suspicious that it could be legitimate. Most companies have become savvy to the "viral" impact of the internet, and very rarely release coupons as a PDF file that can be printed as many times as the user wants. In fact, I am VERY wary of PDF files and rarely post them, because I tend to err on the side of caution. I will post them only if I can find a link to it from a companies website.
In my experience, most coupons for freebies are found on a restrictive coupon site like Coupons.com, Red Plum, or as a Bricks coupon where you have a limited number of prints (usually 2 per computer). I have found that many companies are also letting you register for a FREE coupon online, but then they mail it to you, so they can have extra security features included in the coupon.
If you aren't sure, try searching the internet or checking out Snopes. It's better for everyone if we only use legitimate coupons. If you have already used this coupon...I'm sure you didn't know. But, now you do :-).