This weekend I read in our local paper about an individual who almost got caught up in a scam to drain her bank account. The scammer was using the upcoming economic stimulus package to solicit personal and bank account info under the guise of the IRS.

Even though she had already provided the information she was lucky enough to change her bank account info before any funds were drained. The local IRS contact warned individuals that the IRS will not make contact via email and that scams like this are a common occurrence.

WalletPop producer Amey Stone had warned of the tax rebate scams before congress had even approved the stimulus package, but as May 2 approaches, the frequency of attempted rip-offs will only increase. The IRS already spent $42 million letting citizens know that the checks are coming, and the only requirement is to fill out a 2007 tax return. Despite the Super Bowl-sized campaign and nonstop news coverage it seems individuals are still falling for these scams.

I don't think I can put this any nicer, don't give out your personal information online! It is really that simple, if everyone stops answering these "demands" for banking info, the spammers and con artists will at the least have to move to a new medium. I understand that at times the emails appear to be legit now that the bad guys hired an English major to write them, but just delete it.

Anytime you go car shopping you get slapped in the face with dealer incentives swathed in bright colors and exclamation points. While many people filter out similarly structured sales pitches online, for some reason car dealers are given a pass on the use of ALL CAPS and big promises. Take for example the $500 in free gas which many dealerships are quick to offer. This "generous" offer is yet another way to convince the buyer that they are putting one over on the dealer and getting a better deal. One of the providers of the gas rebate service is FreebieGas.com, which still proclaims an all time high gas price of $2.50 per gallon. Like all dealer incentives there is a catch, and in all my years of dealing with rebates I don't think I have heard one with this many hoops to jump through.

What the dealer doesn't tell you about the gas rebate you just used to rationalize purchasing a more expensive car, is that it will cost you money just to sign up for the rebate program. From here the process only gets shadier and trickier, you must buy $100 in gas each month to receive a $25 gas card AND you have to make all these purchases at the same gas station. After you spend your monthly quota for gas you better head to the post office and overnight your receipts as they need to be received before the first day of the next month in order to count for redemption. Finally 2 grand and 20 months later -- if you are lucky you'll have recouped the $500 in gas incentives. In case this still sounds like a good deal or you feel like you can beat the system with your moleskin notebook and in-car stapler, the $500 in gas you receive still needs to be reported as income on your state and federal taxes. I like to consider myself a frugal shopper but a gas rebate process like this is too involved even for my stingy ways.

Heading out to purchase a used car soon? Be sure to read, Tom Barlow's latest post to learn how to make a car dealer your agent as you search for your dream car.