NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Just about anyone can set up a shingle and call themselves an accountant. And when tax time approaches, having the right person handling your financial accounts is more important than ever.

In today's top 5 tips we're going to tell you what your accountant doesn't want you to know. Here are some sneaky accountant tricks.

There are over a million accountants, auditors and tax preparers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But only about 640,000 are certified public accountants -- CPAs -- who must pass exams, according to the National Association of State Boards of accountancy.

Basically anyone can hang a shingle outside their home and claim they have tax preparation experience. However, you don't need a CPA to file your return. In fact, many CPAs don't even specialize in taxation.

If you want to save some cash, think about using an Enrolled Agent to do your taxes. An enrolled agent has passed an IRS prepared exam or has worked for the IRS for at least 5 years. And enrolled agents generally charge less than CPAs. To find one in your area, go to the National Association of Enrolled Agents at www.naea.org.

There have been 1,100 more complaints filed against tax preparation services this year over last year, according to the Better Business Bureau. So you have to be careful about to whom you trust your tax return. There may be completely bogus tax preparers out there.

Here are some red flags you should watch out for: Don't believe preparers who say they can get you larger refunds than other preparers. Avoid preparers who base their fee on the amount of the refund you get. Remember that no matter who prepares your tax return, you're the one ultimately responsible for the content. Never sign a blank tax form. If you suspect fraud, get on the phone with the IRS by calling 1-800-829-0433.

It's all about the tax refund. And some tax preparation services know it, advertising Refund Anticipation Loans. These are loans you can get based on the amount of tax refund you expect to get back. But these short term loans charge you interest rates that range from 40 to 700 percent. They also have fees that can cost up to $120. You're essentially paying to borrow your own money.

"Consumers don't understand that they are getting a loan, they think it's their tax return," says Sheila Adkins of the Better Business Bureau.

"Seventy percent of people who took out these products didn't realize this was a loan," says Chi Chi Wu of the National Consumer Law Center. Last year over 12 million people spent an unnecessary $1.6 billion to get their money two weeks earlier, according to the group.

And who gets hurt the most? Lower income families. About 7 million working poor families spent over $900 million in Refund Anticipation Loan Fees, according to the NCLC. Our tip here is to stay away from these products. If you can, file electronically, you'll get your money much more quickly.

You think your tax preparer is out for your best interests? Think again. Tax preparers have no fiduciary duty to get you the best results on your tax refund, says Donna LeValley of "J.K. Lasser's 2006 Income Taxes."

And since the Internet is helping more people prepare their tax returns, companies like Jackson Hewitt and H& R Block find themselves scrambling to roll out other financial services, like mortgages, IRAs and refund products.

In fact, these refund products are a huge source of revenue stream for these companies, according to the National Consumer Law Center. Need more convincing? Just two days ago, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer sued H&R Block for selling retirement plans in which many low-income savers actually lost money.

The bottom line here is that you are responsible for making sure you get the most out of your tax return, not your accountant.

Your tax return has a lot of important information on it..like your social security number, your address and your salary. This information is valuable to marketers looking for a way to target potential customers.

Right now that information generally stays with the tax preparer. But if the IRS has its way, in a few weeks, your private info will make it into the hands of third party marketers like banks and mortgage brokers -- if you sign a consent form. Consumer advocates fear that people will get caught up the paperwork flurry and will sign the consent form unknowingly, so be aware of what you're signing.

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Gerri Willis is a personal finance editor for CNN Business News and the host for Open House. E-mail comments to 5tips@cnn.com.