Tax preparer's acting like loan sharks?

Don't you just hate taxes. It seems to bring out the worst in people or force others to bury their heads in the sand. Worse, the thought of getting a refund check can really drive folks to do not-so-smart stuff - like taking a loan on an anticipated refund check just to get your money a little early.

If you are even thinking about doing such a thing, you MUST check out "Taxes and Loan Sharking" written by Jeffrey Strain of SavingAdvice.com:

"Not only do you pay up to triple digit interest rates on the loan, but you are paying these rates to borrow your own money. You read that correctly. Unlike a credit card loan (or a loan shark loan), you aren't borrowing someone else's money - the money is the extra money you paid to the government which is already yours and you are entitled to..."

You've already let the Government borrow your money for free all year, why would you want to give away to a scam artist? Even though Jeffrey mentions it might be worth doing in an extreme circumstance, I think it'd be more inclined, in rare situations only, to take out a small unsecured bank loan for 30% interest than pay 1000% on these advanced tax returns.

As always, do your homework and if something sounds too good to be true, read the fine print.