The number of senior citizens losing money to scams is going up and advocates are calling for more protections for consumers to be included in the final state budget.

According to the FBI, Americans over the age of 60 lost $3.4 billion from scams in 2023. That's about 10% more than 2022.

Advocates are urging lawmakers to include an initiative to train bank tellers and other financial institution employees to recognize signs of scams. It's something Gov. Kathy Hochul has included in her budget proposal.

The New York State Office for the Aging has tips on how you can avoid being scammed.

First, know that trusted organizations like banks, government agencies or charities will not randomly contact you and always verify independently with a trusted source.

If someone reaches out asking for money or personal information, the office says to close the link or hang up the phone and contact a trusted source instead.

If you are the victim of a scam, you can file a report either by calling 911 or through the NYS Office of Victim Services.