Because of rising gas prices you may be looking for an easy way to improve your gas economy. You may be considering one of the many gas saving devices on the market. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission), has a warning: be very skeptical of claims made by the sellers and manufacturers of gas saving devices or additives. The federal government has evaluated over 100 fuel enhancing and fuel economy products and not a single one of them did what their advertising claimed.

There are a number of common deceptive and untruthful ad claims used by makers and suppliers of these alleged fuel saving devices. These are some you should be on the look out for.

One product that was advertised heavily was "Fuel Saver Pro," a device that claims to be "EPA-approved."

The deceptive advertisements stated specifically that: high gasoline prices at the pump shouldn't worry you. You won't worry anymore with this new "EPA-approved device." They falsely claimed that if you got your hands on this device for the low price of $89.95, plus $6.95 shipping, you would realize an amazing 27 percent increase in gas savings.

The real truth is that this Fuel Saver Pro device was not tested by the EPA and of course is not EPA approved. An official EPA spokesman said: "We've tested over 100 of these devices, most of them like this one which is a device that uses magnets around the fuel lines - as if fuel is magnetic - and the EPA has not certified any of them because non of them work.

The EPA spokesmen also said that the sellers of this device manipulated the test they made their claim from to make sure they got the result they wanted. The maker used a short stop and go drive which uses a lot of gas, and compared it with a longer 25 minute trip on a high speed freeway. Naturally the results showed the highway trip had much better mileage. Of course this was due to the more economical method of driving at a constant speed on a highway versus a less economical drive in stop and go traffic. It had nothing to do with any device attached to the car.

Sellers and manufacturers of fuel saving devices also use a similar deceptive strategy. They state: "This fuel saving device is approved by the Federal government."

No agency of the US government endorses in any way any gas saving products. The most that can be truthfully claimed is that the EPA has tested gas savings of this device.

If the seller claims that its product has been evaluated by the EPA, ask for a copy of the EPA report, or check the EPA website epa.gov for information. In most instances, false claims of EPA testing or approval have been made.

These are just another way that sellers and manufacturers of these devices try to deceive you. They are trying to separate you from your money. Don't let them get away with it. The bottom line is, none of these devices has ever been shown to work in a legitimate manner. This is one purchase you should avoid!