The Indiana Attorney General's office is reminding Hoosiers to continue being careful, fiscally savvy consumers and avoid financial pitfalls that scam artists can set up.

Attorney General Greg Zoeller is offering consumer protection tips in conjunction with National Consumer Protection Week, which started Sunday and ends Saturday.

In this tax season, Zoeller warned people to watch out for multiple types of tax scams that trick people out of their money or steal their identities. He said people should be cautious when tax return preparers make promises that seem too good to be true or promote filing fraudulent claims to boost refund totals.

The 2010 U.S. Census also is presenting an opportunity for scammers to strike people, Zoeller said. He said participation in the Census is important, but pay attention for people who conduct illegal practices such as soliciting information over the phone or seeking donations.

Zoeller said legitimate charitable organizations also may send communications to people that looks similar to the Census. While they may not be scams, this shouldn't be confused with information the U.S. Census Bureau is gathering.

Indianaconsumer.com is the state's resource for consumer information and education from the Indiana Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division. The Web site also offers the opportunity for people to sign up for fraud alert, place a credit freeze or find out if the state is holding their unclaimed money.

For Zoeller's full columns for consumer protection week, visit The Cheap Guy blog at http://www.nwi.com/app/blog/thecheapguy.