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WEST COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) - As the holiday season gets closer, Midlands authorities are urging people to be mindful of scammers.

Incidents of financial scams and identity theft tend to be higher this time of year. West Columbia police say their case files are as full as they've ever been with those kind of cases. The down economy is making it worse as more and more people are looking for an easy buck.

Wednesday night, dozens of residents packed a fraud prevention seminar in West Columbia to learn how they can avoid being a victim.

"As soon as they start talking money it's a scam," Detective Mike Cubelli told the crowd. "The lotteries that you've won, you haven't won any lottery, not in a foreign country. Any time money is involved it's a scam."

The West Columbia white collar crimes investigator pointed out to residents that they are peppered with scams on a daily basis in the form of emails, letters and unsolicited phone calls. Those correspondences, often from foreign countries, promise big money to the recipient if they can put up a little money of their own.

Very often, senior citizens are the targets. They also fall victim despite the fact that scammers present many of the red flags, ranging from promising money, to asking for credit card and personal information in order to win a sweepstakes or lottery, and even threatening bodily harm if a person doesn't pay a bill.

Chances are, a potential target has never met or done business with the person making this claim and they should keep it that way.

"Our seniors are very giving and very trusting. And the trust factor is what they (the scammers) are going for," said Det. Cubelli.

If you get calls or mailings like any of those described authorities urge you to disregard them, not divulge any personal information and call local police.

For more tips to avoid becoming a victim click here.