They're calling on seniors to stay disconnected from these scams.

Officials say far too often scam artists perceive senior citizens as vulnerable, or relatively wealthy, and as a result they become the targets of a wide range of scams.

This is why Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has created a program called The Silver Beat, to ensure seniors have the knowledge to protect themselves from con artists.

Danville resident Jane McMillian knows firsthand about fraud.

She says she was a victim and has learned to just hang up and call for help if she's feeling pressured to give personal information over the phone.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says just use common sense and do not give in to emotional pleas or begging.

Madigan says the issue is so bad, the number of consumer fraud complaints per year has actually risen from about 20,000 to almost 33,000 in the last two years.

Officials right now they're relying on seniors who do attend these Silver Beat seminars to spread the word to their own circle of friends so the message can reach as many people as possible.

if you're interested in attending or hosting a Silver Beat seminar yourself, please contact Erin Ruebbelke at (217) 557-1982 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

They also say you find yourself in a questionable situation, call the senior citizen's fraud line at (800) 243-5377.