To retirees, the offers can sound like the answer to every money worry: convert tomorrow’s pension cheques into today’s hard cash through so-called pension advances -- a cash-strapped retiree's answer to a pay day loan. 

But programs like these are having devastating financial consequences for a growing number of older Americans, threatening their retirement savings and actually plunging them further into debt, the New York Times reports.

The advances, federal and state authorities say, are not advances at all, but actually carefully disguised loans that require borrowers to sign over all or part of their monthly pension cheques.

And while not yet widespread in Canada, critics worry that the practice might soon migrate across the border.

Just like the music charts, celebrity names pop in and out of favour. Scammers know this, which is why they use the top names as lures for malware scams and identity theft.

Famous names are used for a whole host of tricks, from people actually posing as celebrities to bogus endorsements of products and events, says Scambusters.  

One of the most prevasive stunts is to use the name of a well-known figure in emails or messages on social media like Facebook and Twitter to lure victims into clicking an attachment or a link that downloads malware onto their PCs.

However, it turns out that not all celebs are equal when it comes to the popularity of their names as bait for click tricking. And, like celebrity status itself, the names change over time.

In 1789, the year before his death, Benjamin Franklin wrote: "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

If ol' Ben was alive today, he might modify his suggestion to: "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes and scams during tax season."

That's because a new survey by the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA-Canada) found that one in five Canadians -- 20 per cent -- are exposed to tax season scams.

If it sounds too good to be true -- it probably is.

The Competition Bureau wants consumers to be aware of scams as part of its 2 Good 2 Be True campaign during Fraud Prevention Month in March.

Among the various scams out there, the Competition Bureau wants consumers to recognize false online testimonials and subscription traps on mobile devices.

Remember when you were little how you were always taught that it's good to share?

Oh sure, it's always polite to share your toys or cookies.

But as we get older we are now finding out that it may not be such a good thing -- especially when it comes to sharing our personal and financial information on the Internet.

A recent study by Visa Canada revealed that many Canadians are in fact "oversharing" their financial information over their computers and cellphones which could put them at a greater risk for fraud.

With so many Canadians looking for work, it's not surprising scam artists are targeting people desperate to earn money through part-time work, such as mystery shopping.

The pitch starts out sounding legitimate, particularly to someone who's already struggling and may not be thinking that straight.

You answer an email or Kijiji post looking for part-time work. The scammer tells you that they're looking for mystery shoppers who can shop on their own time and earn a fee at the same time.

To get the ball rolling, the company will send you a cheque for as much as $4,000 to buy the items you need to purchase to appropriately rate the retail outlet, most likely a bank or payday loan service. 

The con artist's excuse for sending so much money is that they want you to take your fee out of the cheque. They then want you to wire the balance back to them so they can monitor things from their end.

After enjoying a decent holiday shopping, North American retailers are once again another headache: merchandise returns and the con games that accompany them.

According to a National Retail Federation survey, return fraud cost merchants an estimated $8.9 billion in 2012, with nearly 30% coming during the holiday season. Overall, the survey shows that something like 4.6% of holiday returns are fraudulent.

Virtually every retailer (97%) reported being stung by crooks who collected refunds for stolen items, and almost half (47%) said they’d received fake receipts.

Equally common is the practice of "renting'' electronics for a few days or wearing an item for a special occasion then returning it — a practice called "wardrobing.'' Nearly two-thirds (65%) claim they've been stung this way within the last year.

It's no secret that senior citizens are often the targets of fraud and financial crimes.

Among the reasons: Some older people have built substantial assets (including their own home/cottage and large savings accounts), they're easy to find at home, and they can often be swayed by fears of losing their financial independence.

Estimates from MetLife's Mature Market Institute suggest that this group loses approximately $2.6 billion per year due to financial abuse -- fraud, as well as theft by family members and acquaintances.

But it seems that seniors aren't the only group getting fleeced.

With a generally low level of investment knowledge, Canadians of all ages remain popular targets for fraudsters, according to the The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) which just released the third edition of its survey of investment knowledge, investor behaviour and incidence of investment fraud. 

Looks like another disciple of tax fraudster Russ Porisky is off to jail.

An Ontario couple who dodged the tax man by following his teachings pleaded guilty last week to dodging close to $1-million dollars in personal taxes and to helping others evade millions more.

Porisky's Paradigm Education Group, which teaches followers that taxes are unconstitutional and that taxing a human being’s labour is a confiscation of property has led more than one dupe into the arms of the Canada Revenue Agency. 

Porisky told his followers that his research of the law showed the average Canadian didn't have to pay taxes because each working Canadian is being taxed as an "artificial person," a category created by government. So, by declaring oneself a "natural person," no taxes need to be paid.

That argument led to convictions for fraud and tax evasion earlier this year.

As the Christmas lights go up, daily deals sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial, as well as a stack of local clones, are ramping up their offerings for the holiday shopping season.

This despite continuing reports of both consumers and businesses falling victim to Groupon remorse – that sinking feeling that, upon reflection, the decision to purchase or even offer a daily deal was, well, a bit unwise.

In a survey conducted for the listing service Manta, 82% of small businesses say they plan to steer clear daily deal sites this year, largely because they generate such a low rate of repeat customers.  

What's worse, naive or simply stunned vendors regularly underestimate demand, which means your coupon is either devalued somehow, subject to more restrictions than you’re willing to put up with, or simply becomes little more than a scam. 

Here's the latest example.