Senior citizens on fixed incomes may be tempted to invest in what seems to be a sure thing. Too often, those turn out to be scams.

The latest scam revolves around the rebate checks that will be coming to taxpayers soon. You might get a call from someone who claims to be with the IRS before you do anything, call the Better Business Bureau.

"We might not have all the answers for them, but we can at least steer them in the right direction or give them the resources they need to make good decisions for themselves," said Bonnie Horibata, from the Better Business Bureau.

There a number of variations on the get-rich-quick scheme - like telling you you've won the lottery. Surprising considering you didn't buy a ticket.

"But it's so enticing to think that you could make additional money that's going to subsidize your family income, so it sort of entraps you into those types of situations. So if it just doesn't sound right, or it's too good to be true, then it probably is," said Horibata.

There was a time when you only had to worry about door-to-door con artists. Times have changed.

"Basically, they can get scammed through the internet if they have access to that, the telephone, a lot of junk mail," said Horibata.

It's possible that a senior may be reluctant to talk with family members if they feel they are in the middle of a possible scam.

"The embarrassment, not wanting to tell their families and I think that's why our employees are very empathetic to our seniors and they try to give them the information they need to make good decisions," said Horibata.

And Horibata says in a worst case scenario, it's still a good idea to call the BBB.

"If they've already become a victim or they think they've become a victim, we just try to take them through the steps and then give them the right information so that they can try to reconcile it."