New historic legislation, backed by Republican state lawmakers and Attorney General Ashley Moody, criminalizes the exploitation and abuse of Florida's senior citizens.

Florida is home to nearly 5 million senior citizens. A vulnerable population that is oftentimes abused behind closed doors.

"One in 10 seniors will be abused according to some estimates, but only about 1 in 25 will ever be reported," said AG Moody.

Seniors are also the target of scammers looking to make a quick fortune off innocent elders.

In August 2020, detectives on the Treasure Coast warned of a scam where at least 5 senior citizens were conned out of nearly $170,000.

“These fraudsters are good at what they do, they can make web pages that look real," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told CBS12 News. "They have storylines that tug at the person’s heart or frighten them. And so they can be very effective."

Continue reading at CBS 12 News.