Scammers target elderly people with all kinds of schemes which take advantage of their isolation, ease of trust, higher savings and lack of technical knowledge, among other things, American organisation Senior Living advises.

Most of the scams can occur in New Zealand as easily as the United States, and it is helpful for advisers to the elderly to be aware of them.

Common Scams that target the elderly includes the "grandparent scam" where the perpetrator calls or emails seniors and pretends to be a family member in trouble or an authoritative person representing the relative, such as a lawyer.

Senior Living is a non profit organisation.