COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)- Advocates for the elderly say seniors are often too trusting and scammers are taking tens of thousands of dollars of their savings.

So South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer plans to announce a new campaign for combating those scams.

Plans by the Office on Aging include developing a Safe Senior Business Network.

To join the network, businesses must agree to a list of ethical standards and to mediate disputes with elderly customers.

Bauer hopes that in time, elderly residents will check the list on the web or will call the Office on Aging before deciding who to hire or where to shop.

He says it will take time to develop the list, but he says it should be on the web by year's end.