The Cowra local had received a letter in the post from a man claiming to be an attorney which said he was entitled to a sum of money from a deceased estate.

It became clear to Mr Ambachtsheer pretty quickly though that the letter he had received was part of a scam.

The letter referred to someone named Maria Mr Ambachtsheer had never heard of and asked him to keep its contents in confidence, which triggered alarm bells.

A trip to the courthouse confirmed his suspicions that the letter was indeed a fake.

He believes the scammers accessed his details via the electoral roll and wants other residents to be on the lookout .

"You see a lot of older people get caught by these scammers," Mr Ambachtsheer said.

Mr Ambactsheer has now reported the scam to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Scamwatch website, which says scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across Australia.

It says scammers often use a series of psychological tricks in order to solicit information and money from you.

"Scammers give you something, such as a 'free' gift or assistance, to get something in return, such as your agreement later on. You are caught up feeling obliged to do something. Protect yourself from those sentiments by recognising the gifts and favours as nothing more than devices to influence you to return the favour.

"Authority, in or out of uniform, will cause an automatic response in almost everyone. We appeal to and use authority all the time to justify or support our position. Scammers do it deliberately to hoodwink you into agreement. Your protection here is to ask whether the authority is relevant to the context."

Furthermore, when dealing with scammers:

Don't respond - Ignore suspicious emails, letters, house visits, phone calls or SMS - press 'delete', throw them out, shut the door or just hang up.

Watch out for slick tricks - Scammers use sophisticated tricks to fool you such as fake websites, glossy brochures, technical jargon or posing as someone that you know and trust - don't fall for them!

Protect your identity - Your personal details are private and invaluable - keep them that way and away from scammers.