We're starting to see economic stimulus payments (or tax rebates) in our bank accounts! Or at least some of us are. If you want to know when you'll get it, the Internal Revenue Service has created a "where's my stimulus payment" webpage where you can enter some information and see when you should get your payment.

The IRS is sending payments out in order of the last two digits of a taxpayer's social security number. So those of you who qualified for the payment, opted for direct deposit and whose SSN ends in 0-20 got rebates last week.

The IRS rebate schedule says that those of us with higher numbers at the end of our SSN will have to wait a few more weeks to get our direct deposit payments. Those who opted for paper checks will start to get checks in mid-May.

This SSN schedule assumes the IRS processed your tax return by April 15. If the IRS did not process your return by April 15, you should get your economic stimulus payment up to two weeks after you receive your refund (regardless of direct deposit or check it seems). If you did not expect to get a refund or you filed your return after April 15, it will take a minimum of six weeks after you file to receive your stimulus payment.

If you don't remember or don't know how much money you qualified to receive, you can use the IRS Economic Stimulus Payment Calculator to find out. Keep in mind you could receive less than the amount calculated here if you owe back taxes, child support, money for student loans and other reasons. Around the same time you get your payment, the IRS will send you a notice to break down how it was calculated. Keep this statement for your records.

If you did not file your 2007 income tax or an extension, you can still file your federal income tax by October 15, 2008 to see if you qualify for an economic stimulus payment. The sooner you file though, the sooner you'll get results.

If you have other questions call the IRS or contact your local IRS office.  

A scary thing happened to me Tuesday night. I was shooting pool with some friends when a stranger tried to snatch my purse. I couldn’t believe it. My purse was a mere five feet away. The guy quietly swiped it, hid it beneath his sweatshirt, and sauntered toward the door. I was lucky. I noticed almost immediately, and the guy was apprehended.

For a few terrible moments, I thought he had gotten away. I began to imagine the hassle of replacing my credit cards, my driver’s license, and my ATM card (not to mention the songs on my iPod). What a mess. So, today, I’ve decided to post a few things you should do, just in case:

• Keep a list of all of your credit, debit, and ATM cards. This list should include card numbers as well as customer service phone numbers. You might also want to include the fraud hotlines of credit reporting agencies, so you can place a fraud alert on your credit report. You should keep this list somewhere safe and easy to access (but not in your wallet!).
• Because your Social Security number is a gold mine for identity thieves, never keep your Social Security card in your wallet. If your driver’s license has your Social Security number on it, you should contact your state motor vehicles office and ask for a replacement that doesn’t display your Social Security number.
• Never keep PIN numbers in your wallet or with your credit or debit cards.

If your wallet has been stolen, the FTC provides a quick list of what to do. And of course, there are lots of other things you can do to avoid identity theft.

Do you have any tips for how to make life difficult for purse snatchers?

It's no fun owing income taxes. The same day I came home a proud college graduate I received a bill from the IRS for $500 because I forgot to claim some freelance writing payments on my previous year's return. Suffice it to say, my graduation money didn't go towards a nice vacation or new guitar.

It's no surprise to me that last year the IRS received 61 percent of balance-due returns (people who owe) after April 15. Many people will be at the post office on April 15 this year, submitting their balance-due returns and filing extensions (even though their estimated tax amount will still be due April 15).

If you owe taxes it is important to pay the whole sum right away to avoid penalties and late fees. The IRS accepts checks, money orders, cashier's checks, credit cards, cash and electronic funds transfer. If you e-file you can file your return and set your payment to be made by electronic funds transfer from your bank on April 15.

If you owe and you do not have the money to pay, the IRS has payment plans. The IRS actually recommends you use a credit card or bank loan to make the payment in one lump sum, rather than pay their rates. Generally, credit cards and bank loans have a lower interest rate, so you should check with your bank.

Those of you who are due a refund for 2007 have probably already filed since 73 percent of people who were due a refund last year filed before April 15. I got a refund this year and put it towards a new toy (hint: it's not the cat).

Be sure to check with your state government for income tax filing deadlines. The deadline to file federal income taxes for 2007 is Tuesday of next week.

There wasn't a whole lot of April Fooling going on at Gov Gab headquarters this week, I'm sorry to report—except for the person who went nuts with a roll of double-face tape at lunchtime and stuck the office refrigerator door shut. I don't know who would do such a thing. But I regress. I mean, digress...

I wanted to tell you about another kind of fooling involving your email and tax season.

This year, more than 80 million tax returns will be filed electronically. And with America's growing comfort with online transactions—from shopping and auctions to banking and investing—scammers know you'll pay attention when you get an email that seems to be from a company or government agency you do business with, saying that there's a problem with your account. Scammers have gotten so good at spoofing—masquerading online as legitimate government agencies and businesses—to "phish" your personal and financial information out of you that even really web-savvy people are being fooled.

As we’re approaching tax time, scammers in the guise of the IRS are sending email messages reporting that you have an unexpected tax refund. And, they say, if you click the link in their email and enter information about yourself and your bank account, they'll send your refund. Don't believe it. Follow those instructions and you're likely to have your bank account drained instead.

How do you know what's real? Take a minute right now to read the IRS' alert about phishing emails and other tax scams. They also explain how to report fraudulent IRS email messages so they can investigate and catch the scammers.

If your email in-box is anything like mine, besides the confidential messages from Nigerian bankers and spam offering cheap prices on medications, you'll see other phishing schemes. I've gotten fake email allegedly from eBay, PayPal and more than a dozen banks and mortgage companies--most of which I don't even do business with. And they all request personal and financial information from me because my "account has been breached" or they want to update my records. Baloney. The government agencies and companies you do business with will not email you out of the blue about your account. When you get email messages like these, avoid opening them. But if you accidentally do, don't click any links in the email—they'll take you to a spoofed site instead of the real thing.

To find out if an email message is really from a company or agency, type the company or agency’s name or url into a search engine to make sure you get onto the legitimate site. Then on the home page, look for "contact us" or "security" or "report fake email/phishing" for instructions on determining whether an email is the real deal, and on reporting or forwarding the fake email for investigation.

As I've been writing this, I got another fake IRS email. It looks a lot like this. I forwarded it right on to the IRS for investigation. It makes me really mad when someone tries to take advantage of me—and of you. Please be careful online, and I'll do the same.

Hey! Did you hear that the government gives away billions of dollars so people can pay off their credit card bills, quit their jobs and go on vacation?  April fool!

Are we really that gullible? Sure we’d all like it to be true—who doesn’t want some easy money? But before you shell out some of your hard earned money to learn how to get a government grant, or even worse, get caught up in a scam, I want you to know that the government does give lots of money away, but most government grants go to state and local governments or nonprofit organizations that in turn use the money to administer community programs.

If you or someone you know is in need, the government has loads of assistance programs that might help - they’re just not often referred to as “grants.” There are programs to help with heating bills or starting a business or health insurance for children and much more. If you’re an organization seeking a grant you should check out grants.gov, your official source where you can find and apply for a grant from the federal government.