Coupons are a popular and convenient way for a company to promote a product or service. Coupons are typically distributed on paper and then scanned by a merchant so that the coupon is applied against a particular purchase. The merchant then typically collects all of the coupons for a particular promotion and sends them to the coupon issuer, or their agent, for reimbursement. This system protects against persons from simply reusing coupons because the merchant is only reimbursed if the merchant can return a paper copy of the coupon. Thus, the coupon issuer can ensure that only a limited number of coupons are used for a particular promotion. Despite all of this, there is significant coupon fraud, both by retailers repeatedly scanning a coupon and by consumers improperly copying and sharing coupons.