Americans over 65 are often victims of financial fraud and exploitation from scammers and even unscrupulous relatives, caretakers and others they know.

Your golden years are supposed to be the time when you live off your retirement savings, see more of your family and dive fully into leisurely pursuits. Unfortunately, they're also the years when you'll be a prime target of financial scams.

Seniors tend to have savings, steady income from Social Security, money in retirement accounts and other assets, like a home that they own.

“It's why bank robbers go to the bank,” said Amy Nofziger, director of regional operations with the AARP Foundation. “Scammers and criminals will go to older adults because that's where the money is, so they're certainly targeted more often than not.”

The illegal or improper use of a senior's funds, property or assets is the most common form of elder abuse in the U.S., according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Annual financial fraud losses for older Americans can reach as high as $36.5 billion, according to a 2015 study cited by the CFPB.

And the threat isn't just from anonymous online scammers reaching out over a chat box on your computer and offering to vanquish a computer virus, or others posing as IRS agents to demand you pay Uncle Sam taxes with an iTunes gift card. They can be family members and others you know who have easy access to your checkbook or Social Security number.

Here are some steps seniors should consider to protect themselves from financial fraud:

PROTECT IMPORTANT DOCUMENTSKeep your ID, checkbook, bank statements, utility bills and other documents with details that could be mined to open unauthorized credit in your name locked or out of view from relatives and caregivers.

MONITOR YOUR ACCOUNTSKeeping tabs on your bank and credit cards is key to spotting unauthorized cash withdrawals or charges. Do this by regularly going over your monthly statements.You can also enlist a trusted family member to do it. Also check your credit report regularly. You're entitled to a free report annually.

FREEZE YOUR CREDIT REPORTConsider freezing your credit report, which guards against having unauthorized accounts opened.Contact the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, TransUnion and Experian — and ask them to freeze your credit report. Each agency will charge between $5 and $10.This doesn't prevent you from using the credit cards you already have, though you'll have to ask to pause the freeze if you want to sign up for a new credit account.

SCREEN CALLSAmong fraud complaints called into the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network (CSN) last year, some 77 percent of them listed the phone as the way that scammers made contact. By comparison, email was cited in 8 percent of complaints, websites in 8 percent, and mail in just 3 percent. Other methods accounted for 6 percent.“Stop picking up your phone,” said Nofziger. By not answering the phone, you deny a potential scammer “an opportunity to convince you about whatever they're pitching.”

KNOW THE SCAMSGet wise to the scammers' ways.They share some characteristics, even though they're always changing. They usually pressure you to take action quickly and keep the transaction a secret. And they want you to pay upfront for a promised prize or service, often with a prepaid gift card.