The economy sucks. No big secret there, right? And it's no secret that the federal and state governments are feeling similar economic pressures as their residents. I don't think this could be any more evident than it is for those of us who live here in California.

Last week, KABC-TV in LA ran a story called Online Coupons: Beware of the Bargain that tells the story of a woman that was scammed by an online coupon service. Via a popup on their site, this service promised her a great deal in exchange for some of her personal information. She ended up with a load of phony charges on her credit card statement, and she's still in the process of straightening out her finances.

It seems only fitting as we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July--the day our forefathers declared independence in response overzealous taxation--that some welcome news on the tax front comes our way. Specifically, a resolution to the dreaded "Amazon Tax" known as "AB178" in California.

It's that time of the week again, time for the Savings.com blog round up for the week of June 28th. We've picked some of our favorite blog posts from the past week and compiled them into a concise list for your reading pleasure. This week's theme: Financial Crimes.

I remember getting my first credit card. I had just been laid off from my job when it arrived. When I called my mom to tell her the good news, her response was "They gave a credit card to someone who is unemployed?"

My reply: "Is this a great country or WHAT?!!!"

Over at 24/7 Wall St., they're reporting on the latest market rally saying that calling it a "a mere recovery would be an understatement of the year." And the biggest winner in the stock turnaround?

CROCs.

Given the brand's remarkable 200% gains since March, 24/7 Wall St. muses "Is CROCs Becoming the New Bull Market Proxy?"

Our CEO, Loren Bendele, spoke out about the proposed "Amazon Tax" bill that's going before California legislature this upcoming Monday in a guest post on VentureBeat.com. Here's what he had to say:

Even though many folks are tightening their pursestrings these days, entertainment purchases will continue to be made. Throughout hard times in history, people have pursued escapism, and entertainment has always filled that need. From musical comedies in Leninist Russia and free outdoor screenings during the Great Depression to Woodstock during the Vietnam War, people needed a way to escape the difficult times...and we're no different, although we're not dealing with anything nearly as grim as those three examples. Whether you're buying movie tickets, paying for your Netflix subscription, or downloading songs to keep your iTunes library and your iPod updated, your purchases may become less frequent, but it's doubtful that they'll stop altogether.