You walk out to the parking lot at work and find that somebody has backed into your car and left a nasty dent. The car is your baby, and you want it perfect. You take it in to Freddie's Body Shop and Freddie gives you an estimate for $1251.08 and says he'll waive your $250 deductible. What a deal!

Glass shops also offer this deal.

And, so do medical professionals and attorneys. These schemes involve referrals for patients or clients, they can be agreements between attorneys and medical professionals or between medical professionals or with anyone who's willing to accept a kickback to refer a patient (even and uninjured one) or a client.

Even patients can be given a kickback to continue treating. The patient can get 10% or more of the total medical charges just to keep coming and to keep building his claim so he'll get a bigger settlement. Of course, if the patient doesn't want to treat, he/she can also just "sign in" and never show up. What a deal!

Kickbacks are everywhere.

You enter Bozo's Furniture Store and buy a leather couch and a love seat. Bozo says that he's going to give you a coffee table for free. What a deal.

The Strawberry State Bank offers you a new toaster oven for opening a checking account. What a deal.

These are not "deals. They are marketing ploys. Bozo and Strawberry are legal; Freddie is not. Nor (in most states) are the kickbacks between attorneys, medical professionals and their patients. Nothing is free. Got that? Nothing.

Doctors are offered "gifts" by pharmaceutical companies. Car dealerships offer gift certificates for each car-buyer you send their way. Cruise ships offer "shipboard credit" if you book by a certain date. Not every kickback is illegal -- it may be only clever marketing. But some are illegal and, in some cases, they can come back and bite the recipient in the behind.

And don't kid yourself. We pay for every FREE offer out there. Nobody gets a FREE ride. Checked out the cost of your auto insurance premium lately?