Have you ever been approached by a guy in a van saying "we just finished installing speakers at this nightclub and have a few extra leftover?" Its one of the oldest tricks in a scam artist's repertoire and honestly because it includes speakers - it hits a little too close to home for my tastes. According to a published report on CNN.com, a character named "Plasma Pat" has allegedly taken the scam to a new level by offering people near Tampa Bay, Florida a chance to get an HDTV at a very low price thanks to his Wal-Mart employee discount. As you might have guessed, the savings is paid to 60 year old Pat (real name: Joseph Wesley Torma) and the HDTV never shows up. Pat just bolts out a backdoor with the discount seeking sucker standing in the parking lot.

Largo, Florida Police are now seeking Torma after being brazenly antagonized by Plasma Pat in phone calls that included Pat discussing turning himself into authorities.

Do yourself a favor if you are buying a new HDTV and actually buy it from an actual employee. Better yet, look to an independent dealer and use your credit card to protect yourself from potential fraud. In this economy, if something seems too good to be true - it likely is.