You've probably heard it time and time again: read the fine print.
But this time, it could save you hundreds of dollars if you do.

In this "On the Money," report we show you how you can avoid becoming a victim of a scam called "cramming."

It all started with a little white purchase, a Ped Egg. But Walt Marciniak says it turned into a little white lie, in the form of a check.

Walt Marciniak says, "I thought it was either a rebate or a customer loyalty check, something along those lines. It was $8 so i didn't worry about it too much. Just bundled it off and cashed it."

But that eight dollars could have cost him hundreds. He says he started noticing strange charges on his credit card. "I saw a charge for $139.99 for something called buyers advantage. I didn't recognize it."

The Federal Trade Commission calls that cramming and it says the responsibility to tell the consumer falls on the marketers.

Michael Tankersley, with the Federal Trade Commission, says "what the commission says is that the terms and conditions of any sale that you're making to a consumer have to be disclosed up front and any terms or conditions that are crucial to the deal have to be disclosed clearly and conspicuously."

Marciniak found that disclosure in the fine print where he endorsed the check, "no, I did not see the fine print. Like I said, I just thought it was a standard rebate check."

What do you do if it happens to you? The FTC says
Call any number you can find to ask what the charge is for, then ask the company to refund your money and cancel all future charges and contact the FTC to report the cramming.

Tankersley adds, "companies have an obligation to come back and explain to you how is is that charge got on there and if it's not an authorized charge to remove it."

Marciniak got the charges dropped, but says remember that age old advice, "you have to be so careful of you put your name on something to read everything or just throw it away. Forget the check or read it. Don't do what I did."

If you want to learn more about cramming, click here.