WASHINGTON, D.C. - Those pesky robocalls are also proving to be costly, especially for American seniors.

That was the focus of a hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill. In all, 48 billion robocalls targeted American mobile and landline phones in 2018, according to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Often times, seniors are the target. Scammers, claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service or even a local sheriff’s department, have conned Americans into giving them $3 billion, according to Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), the committee’s ranking member. Casey has legislation that would provide training for retail, wire transfer and financial workers to better spot these scams.

For now, he’s encouraging seniors to think twice before sending any money.

“When you get a call from someone who is applying an aggressive set of tactics they’re applying to you, you should be very hesitant,” Casey said. “You should never hesitate from asking a question. Or, frankly, if you don’t want to listen to any of it, just hang up on them.”

Robocalls are on pace to reach 58 billion calls placed by the end of this year, Collins added.