So it sounds like there's an opportunity for someone here. If you read to the end of the article, you'll note that the actual scam is in spinning up discount code sites.
We need a Rapgenius for online discount codes. Right now, it's full of scummy, crappy sites (just like lyric sites), but could be easily improved with a simple interface, minimal advertising, and collaboratively sourced content.
It's actually gotten more legit. Most of the coupons are seeded there by vendors themselves these days. Which is how they just IPOed for a billion dollars.
We recently launched (http://www.robotoatmeal.com/pages/about/) to address this. We're addressing the scam coupon issue by surfacing real time usage data. We also try to validate the coupon before it's published on the site.
While I think we can definitely do better (the data is pretty sparse in some areas), I believe the collaborative / real time validation approach will lead to a better experience for shoppers.
I know http://www.hotukdeals.com/ have branched out into discount codes at some point, but they're obviously UK-only I'm not sure how many people use that section of the site.
We need a Rapgenius for online discount codes. Right now, it's full of scummy, crappy sites (just like lyric sites), but could be easily improved with a simple interface, minimal advertising, and collaboratively sourced content.