That “bank representative” asking for your SSN or the “tech support” saying you have a virus? It’s most likely vishing—voice phishing scams created to steal your money or identity. These scammers don’t just send you an email anymore; they are now calling you with fake caller IDs and use smooth talk to create panic. Things are getting even creepier, and scammers have made serious strides in how to defraud you. They now use AI to clone anyone’s voice and pretend to be friends, coworkers, or family (seriously…a 3-second audio clip is enough to reel you in).
Combined with your personal information (that they obtain from data breaches), vishing scams can feel incredibly real. That “family emergency” phone call? Who knows if it is real or 100% synthetic? What is so brutal about vishing? A human voice creates instant pressure. The scammer often sounds official and professional. They know details about you and create urgency to get you to act first and think later. It’s more than annoying; it’s dangerous, as it can empty your wallet.
Think of this as your front-line briefing. In this article, we lay out the most recent stats that show where these voice scams hit hardest, who is losing the most money, and how these tricks change and evolve. Knowing all of this is not just prudent; it is needed to protect your sanity and your wallet.
Key Statistics
- Over 59.4 million people in America fell victim to vishing in 2021.
- The average reported loss to vishing increased 43% in 2021.
- 59% of Americans received scam calls related to COVID-19 in 2021.
- Youngsters between the ages of 18-44 are more susceptible to vishing attacks.
- An average American received nearly 31 spam calls a month in 2021.
- Peru recorded more than 12 million spam calls in October 2021.
- Mexican people received over 3.2 million spam calls in October 2021.
- People are most likely to lose money if the scammer contacts them via a phone call.
- Yorkshire and the Humber are the most-targeted British locations for vishing attacks.
- Scam callers record the home addresses of victims before scam calls.
Vishing Statistics (Key Trends)
1. Huge economic impact: Americans reported more than $12.5 billion in fraud in 2024, the majority of which was from telephone fraud.
2. High spam call volume: In the first six months of 2024, the average American received 14 spam calls per month. While this number is down from the previous peaks, it still represents more than 20 billion spam calls reported around the world.
3. AI voice cloning became the biggest danger: There was widespread use of AI voice cloning in vishing. Some serious incidents, including fake robocalls impersonating then-president Joe Biden during the primary elections.
4. Geographical hotspots: Oklahoma, Indiana, and Ohio received the most spam calls in 2024. Alaska, New York, and North Dakota received the fewest spam calls.
5. Global Landscape: The majority of all unknown calls in France (53%) and Spain (51%) in 2024 were unwanted. On average, Brazilians received 26 spam calls in a month.
6. Impersonation reigns: Government imposter scams caused $789 million in losses in 2024. It shows how effective authority impersonation still is.
7. Fraud Detection Problems: Approximately 30% of all unidentified calls globally were categorized as suspected spam or fraud. This indicates how significant the issue is.
Detailed Vishing Statistics in 2026
8. Over 59.4 Million People in America Fell Victim to Vishing in 2021.
In 2021, more than 59.49 million Americans (23%) lost money to vishing. Moreover, 56 (22%) million in 2020 and 43 million in 2019. That clearly shows that the number of vishing attacks in the United States is rising. In addition, it’s the highest number of spam calls recorded in the US.
9. Americans Lost Around 29.8 Billion USD to Vishing in 2021.
The total money lost to voice phishing in the United States has increased significantly over the past few years. Americans lost an estimated 29.8 billion USD to phone scams in 2021. That’s a 49.7% increase compared to the money lost in 2020, 19.7 billion USD.
10. The average Reported Loss to Vishing Increased 43% in 2021.
The average money lost due to vishing by an average American was 502 USD in 2021. That’s a 43% increase compared to 2020, 351 USD. But the numbers aren’t following an upward trend. There was a downward trend between 2015 and 2019. However, 2021 recorded the highest average amount of money lost to voice phishing.
11. In 2021, around 60% of Americans Will Lose Money Due to Scam Calls.
As per the reports, 59.8% and 61.5% of citizens of the United States lost their money to spam calls in 2019 and 2020, respectively. However, there was a reduction in the number of victims in 2021. 3 out of 5 Americans (60.0%) claimed that they’ve lost their hard-earned money because of vishing attacks in the past year. As per the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), any spam call trying to sell you something is illegal. However, if the caller has written permission to call you (directly from you), the situation is slightly different; the FTC will recognize it as legal. Well, you can always retain these rights at any time you want.
12. 59% of Americans Have Received Scam Calls Related to COVID-19 in 2021.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, scammers around the world have been taking advantage of the situation with spam calls. In fact, according to various trusted sources, about 59% of Americans have received spam calls related to COVID-19 in 2021, up from 44% in 2020. However, as the situation is a bit under control now, we expect the trend of COVID-19-related spam calls to decrease in the following years.
13. Men Fall for The Prey of Vishing Attacks More than Women.
As per the recent statistics, among those who’ve been victims of a scam call in 2021, around 59.4% of those were men, and only 38.3% were women. The rest (2.3%) preferred not to reveal their gender.
14. Youngsters Between the Ages of 18-44 Years Are More Susceptible to Vishing Attacks.
According to the latest stats, young men fall victim and lose money to voice phishing attacks, mainly men aged between 18-34 (40%) and aged between 35-44 (46%), compared to older men aged 45 or more (28%). Also, the age groups among women most susceptible to a phone scam are aged between 18-34 (31%) and between 35-44 (25%).
15. Smartphones Are the Most Preferred Medium for Vishing.
Mobile phones being something that bags the broadest audience base, it’s evident that scam calls over these devices are increasing day by day. The numbers increased from 49% in 2014 to around 85% in 2021. However, vishing over landlines has decreased from 36% in 2014 to 20% in 2021.
16. An Average American Received Nearly 31 Spam Calls a Month in 2021.
Americans received 30.7 spam calls (landline and/or mobile) in an average month in 2021. Of these 30.7 calls, around 21.5 were robocalls. Moreover, 3 out of 10 Americans (i.e., 59%) received more spam calls (on a landline or mobile) in 2021 than in 2020. While 14% said they’d received fewer in 2021. Moreover, around 85% of Americans said that they only answer the calls if they can identify the number. This highlights how important it is to have an accurate and efficient caller ID service. The good news is that 67% of Americans ignore a call if they receive it from an unknown number.
General Vishing Statistics
17. Americans Reported Losing More Than $12.5 Billion to Fraud in 2024, with Phone Scams Leading the Way.
The Federal Trade Commission reported that consumers in the US lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024. While this figure counts for all forms of fraud, phone scams continue to be one of the most effective methods that fraudsters use. The most troubling part about phone scams is that people who lose money to scammers using a phone generally lose more money than those targeted by other means, typically averaging $1,500-$2,000 lost in a single incident, compared to much lower losses from email or text scams.
So, what makes phone scams so effective? The answer is obvious: nothing quells skepticism faster than the sound of an actual person’s voice. When someone calls you and says your account is compromised, their tone creates such a sense of urgency that even the most cautious person will panic and quickly comply.
18. Government Imposter Scams Cost People $789 Million in Losses in 2024.
This is where we start to see the brutality of the telephone scams. Scammers posed as members of government agencies, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, or local law enforcement (think very scary scenarios), and people lost $789 million to these scams in just last year (2024) alone. This is a $171 million increase from the losses reported for 2023, showing the tactics can only become more refined (and thus effective).
These scammers have been using intimidation techniques to become masters of their craft. They call stating that you owe back taxes, your Social Security has been suspended, or there is a warrant out for your arrest. Scares people and works well, especially with the senior population that grew up trusting authority.
19. The Average American Received 14 Spam Calls a Month in 2024.
After analyzing over 20 billion calls, Hiya found that the average American experienced 14 spam calls per month in the first half of 2024. Now, before you think, “that does not sound too bad,” remember these are just the number of calls that got through and were identified as spam. A lot more were probably blocked by carrier-level filtering.
Interestingly, the spam call rate varied significantly throughout the country. If you live in Oklahoma, Indiana, or Ohio, you might be getting more spam calls than most states – those states had the highest spam call rates. Conversely, there are very few spam calls in Alaska, New York, and North Dakota, so they should be counting their blessings.
20. Striking Fear in 2024: AI Voice Cloning Became a Big Problem.
Things start to get scary here. The year 2024 saw the first widespread use of AI voice cloning in vishing attacks. The most publicized case involved fake robocalls mimicking the voice of President Biden during the New Hampshire primaries, but that was only the start. Here’s how it works. Scammers are now able to clone anyone’s voice by copying only a few seconds of their voice from a social media video or voicemail greeting.
They are now using voice cloning for “grandparent scams,” where they call elderly people claiming to be their grandchild in trouble. Or “CEO scams,” where they impersonate a corporate executive directing the authorization of a wire transfer on behalf of the business. The technology is improving to the point where it is hard even for tech-savvy people to tell between real and fake voices. Most families are now building a “code word’ to authenticate identity during emergency calls, while businesses are introducing stringent verification protocols on any kind of financial requests.
21. Almost 30% of Unknown Calls Were Marked as Spam or Fraud Globally.
Hiya conducted a global analysis of unknown calls, and it found that 28% of unknown calls (calls from phone numbers not in your contacts) were flagged as suspected spam or fraud. In some countries, it was even worse – over 50% of unknown calls were flagged as unwanted in France and Spain. Let that sink in for a second. If you answer a call from an unknown number, there is about a 1-in-3 chance it could be some form of scam or unwanted solicitation. It is no wonder people are no longer even answering their phones.
22. Health Insurance and Medicare Scams Accounted for Most US Vishing in 2024.
When we examined the most prevalent vishing scams targeting Americans in 2024, they were related to health insurance and Medicare. In these cases, the crooks were calling to offer you better coverage, expanded benefits, or warn you that your current coverage was about to be canceled. What makes these especially effective is how complex the US healthcare system is. Most don’t understand their coverage, so when someone calls with information that sounds official about “updated Medicare benefits” or “new supplemental coverage options,” they feel it’s authentic.
Tax scams also peaked in early 2024 around the April 15 filing deadline, because scammers are opportunists at heart. Want to protect yourself from these healthcare scams? The golden rule is quite simple: your insurance company or Medicare will never call you unsolicited about changes in your benefits or personal information over the phone. If you receive this call, hang up and call the official number on your insurance card.
23. Younger Adults Aren’t Immune – They Are Targeted.
Contrary to many people’s beliefs, younger adults (aged 18-44) aren’t better than older adults at detecting vishing scams. While older adults might lose more money per scam incident, younger adults are more likely to engage with scammers in the first place.
One reason is that younger adults are used to managing their lives through their phones, and are thus more at ease sharing information over calls. Younger adults are also engaged with the loan process (student loans), searching for jobs, and establishing credit, which all represent topics that are commonly employed by scammers through fake calls concerning loan forgiveness, job offers, or credit repair services.
24. Brazilian Phone Users Are the Highest Spam Phone Users in the World.
If you think that spam calls in America are bad, spare a thought for people in Brazil. In the first six months of 2024, Brazilians received an average of 26 spam calls per month, nearly double the spam call volume in America. More than half (51%) of unknown calls in Brazil were deemed to be spam, with 13% of calls determined to be outright fraud.
Banking scams are somewhat ubiquitous in Brazil. With many examples of scammers impersonating banks and tricking individuals into confirming personal information and passwords, it isn’t difficult to see just how common the banking scam is. The sheer number of financial fraud calls reflects Brazil’s expanding digital banking space, which can create more opportunities for confusion and deception.
25. Canada Has Less Spam Calls but More Fraud Calls.
Another interesting comparison: Canadians received an average of only 4 spam calls a month in 2024, and 7% of those calls were fraudulent. So, Canada seems to have a higher fraud-to-spam ratio than most other countries. Scammers targeting Canadians must be more selective and sophisticated.
Amazon impersonation scams remain the top threat in Canada, peaking mid-way through April 2024. These scams often involve a spam call stating there is a problem with a person’s order/account, and the intention is to steal their login credentials or payment information. Government impersonation scams are also popular, often targeting people around tax time or benefit enrollment.
26. 68.2 Million (26.4% of Adult Americans) Got Scammed on the Phone in 2023.
Up from 59.4 Million in 2021 (FTC). Why jump up? Scammers are using personal data from breaches so they can sound legitimate. Your action: if they knew your address or your last purchase, hang up anyway.
27. 40.1 Billion Dollars (Loss) to US Phone Scams in 2023.
This is up from $29.8B in 2021. This is not just more victims; this is larger thefts per scam. Criminals push for wires or payment with gift cards as they are untraceable. Keep in mind that no legitimate agency will ever ask for a corporate payment via Steam cards.
28. Average Loss Skyrocketed to $1,480 Per Victim.
Compare that to the $502 seen in 2021. Why? Scammers now research targets, which is easy online. A common practice is to look online and find a person’s family names and claim “your grandchild” needs bail money.
29. 64% of Phone Scam Targets Lose Money.
Almost the same as 2021 at 60%. It shows a psychological weakness in us, as individuals. A live voice creates timing urgency. Train yourself to say, “I’ll call you back at your official number” instead of acting hastily.
30. 38% of 2023 Scams Involved “Financial Relief” Lies.
Though pandemic scams have faded, the rising cost of living has cranked out new scripts. The top lies concern “Debt forgiveness programs” and fake energy bill discounts. As a rule of thumb, anyone reaching out to you, offering “lower payments” you didn’t ask for is likely preying on you.
31. Young Adults Lose Money Most Often.
18-44 year olds filed 56% of loss reports in 2023 (FTC). Why? They answer unknown phone numbers more and deal with their financial affairs via an app. But here’s the kicker: Gen Zs, in 2023, lost 38% more than millennials in each incident.
32. 92% of Vishing is on Mobile Phones.
Landline fraud has dropped to just 8%. Mobile is the sweet spot for fraud because we carry it everywhere! We deal with important calls and often answer them thoughtlessly. This is a reminder to install Nomorobo or Scam Shield from your mobile carrier. It automatically blocks known fraud phone numbers from calling you.
33. Scam Calls Averaged Just 14 Seconds in 2024.
Down from 22 seconds in 2021 (Hiya). Why wait? More of us, once victims of fraud, now recognize fraud quickly and simply hang up, which is diminishing this deadliest phase of the scam call. With pressure to compete, scammers are forced to expedite tactics through emotional pressure or threats.
34. 76% of Fraud Calls Spoof Local Phone Numbers.
“Neighbor spoofing” still fools millions of us every week. Your new defense is simply to let the caller go directly to voicemail if it’s “local” but unexpected. If they are a legitimate caller, they will leave a message.
35. AI Voice Cloning Has Driven 300% Surge in “Family Emergency” Scams.
Security companies tracked over 50,000 fake “kidnap” or “jail bail” calls using cloned voices just in Q1 2024 alone. Your armory? Create a family codeword. If someone calls claiming to be in a crisis, you ask for the codeword.
36. 72% of Victims Report Lasting Anxiety After Vishing.
Also, a lot of people have lost money in scams, and 3 in 4 report distrusting calls in the months after being scammed. This emotional toll generally makes it vital to report – to help law enforcement and authorities fight the headwinds.
Vishing by Country
37. Brazilians Are Most Likely to Be Targeted in Vishing Attacks by Spammers.
Brazil has been the most spammed country globally for the last four years now. While it should be a wake-up call for the Brazilian authorities to start putting some high restrictions and fines for spammers who do vishing activities, they’re putting the problem mildly. Speaking of numbers, 44.1% (the most significant chunk) of vishing in Brazil originated from financial services such as credit card companies, banks, loan providers, credit unions, and others in 2021. However, the sales calls and total scam volume are 39% and 16.9% of all spam-marked calls.
38. Peru Recorded More than 12 Million Spam Calls in October 2021.
Peru seems to yo-yo in terms of ranking when it comes to the most spammed countries. That’s because it was ranked as the second most spammed country in 2019, went down to the fourteenth position in 2020, and in 2021, it again ranked in second place. No doubt, it’s high time for the individuals in Peru to increase the use of spam-blocking services. Unlike Brazil, 46.5% of all spam-marked calls in 2021 originated from sales or telemarketing calls, and 37.3% were from financial services.
Moreover, Peru’s total percentage of vishing appears to be steady at 10.8% in 2021, up from 10% in 2020. However, the number of incoming spam calls is constantly increasing. The country received nearly 7.6 million spam calls in January, 10.2 million in April, 11 million in July, and over 12 million spam calls in October 2021.
39. An Indian Scammer Made More than 202 Million Spam Calls in 2021.
Okay, you might find it unbelievable, but more than 202 million spam calls were made by a spammer in India in 2021. That’s more than 6,64,000 calls a day and 27,000 calls an hour. In terms of spam categories, a vast majority of 93.5% of spam calls in India are calls related to sales or telemarketing. However, the most common scam across the country is still the popular KYC scam.
The scammers pretend to be a digital payment service or bank, asking for KYC documents as made compulsory by the Reserve Bank of India. Moreover, many Indians mentioned that the scammers typically lure unsuspecting victims under some pretext (lotteries, online sales, OTP, etc.) and trick them into downloading a remote access app. As a result, victims face a massive loss of money from cards, banks, and digital mobile wallets. On top of all these, in 2021, an average individual in India received approximately 16.8 spam calls a month.
40. Mexican People Received Over 3.2 Million Spam Calls in October 2021.
In 2021, some Mexican individuals reported scams related to COVID-19 emergencies and virtual kidnappings. The scammers made a threatening call, claiming that they’d kidnapped one of the victim’s family members. They asked the victim to transfer some money using Western Union (which is quick and irreversible) to set them free. These scams make up around 4.8% of all spam calls in the country.
In addition, 74.6% of all spam calls in Mexico in 2021 originated from financial services like banks, loan providers, etc. Moreover, there were 2.4 million spam calls in January, increasing to 3.2 million calls in October 2021. Also, an average Mexican will receive around 15.5 spam calls a month in 2021.
41. Indonesia Recorded 25,789,283 (25.8 Million) Scam Calls in October 2021.
In Indonesia, vishing scammers have a unique and precise way of targeting their victims; they often dig out their target’s financial history and complete background. That’s a big issue in Indonesia, as few people recognize these as scams. It contributes to only 1% of the marked scam calls, while the nuisance keeps on growing. Recently, SOCRadar (a cybersecurity agency) published a threat view report for Indonesia, which clarifies that dark web threats in the country are on the rise, and millions of Indonesians’ databases with information like mobile numbers, names, monthly salaries, date of birth, and their national identity number were sold on the dark web.
Moreover, when it comes to other categories of vishing calls in Indonesia in 2021, 80% of all spam calls originated from financial services, and sales calls make up only 19%. Another important statistic for Indonesia is that it has recorded more than double the spam calls from January to October 2021. Indonesia recorded a spam call volume of nearly 12.6 million in January, which went up to around 25.8 million in October. Moreover, one Indonesian received 14 spam calls a month.
42. France and Spain Lead Europe in Unwanted Calls.
European phone subscribers are not having too good a time, either! In 2024, France and Spain tied for the most unwanted calls, with spam flag rates of 53% and 51%, respectively. This means that if you receive a call from an unknown number in France or Spain, there is better than a coin flip chance that it is spam or fraud. French resident subscribers dealt with 12+ nuisance calls each month. The most frequent nuisances were utility-related scams.
Scammers truly enjoy impersonating electricity suppliers and solar energy companies, likely because consumers cannot and do not want to live without these services! Spain, although facing serious fraud issues too, only noted that 12% of their unknown calls were outright fraud, versus a negligible 5% in France. Spanish scammers, in 2024, got even more creative when employing a TikTok scam, which promised to give people 800 Euros a day just for watching and liking videos. (Spoiler alert, no one got rich watching TikTok with this scam.)
43. Brazil Remains the Unfortunate Spam Capital.
Brazil remained one of the top spam-heavy countries, with residents receiving an average of 26 spam calls a month in 2024. Approximately 51% of unknown calls were spam, and 13% were categorized as fraud. For the most part, banking scams take the largest portion of the vishing landscape in Brazil. Scammers have mastered impersonating banks via phone calls and ask the victim to “confirm” their personal information or passwords.
Since Brazil has a rapidly expanding mobile banking space, there is plenty of ambiguity for criminals to work with. The ongoing situation in Brazil reflects how difficult it is to mitigate the damages of vishing at a national level, and especially difficult in those countries with large, digitally active populations and advanced complexity to navigate within their financial systems.
44. UK Targeted for Tax Season.
The UK’s spam flag rate on unknown calls was a more manageable 28%, with only 3% classified as fraud. However, UK scammers are seasonally focused, with a surge in targeted tax crimes around filing deadlines. In many instances, the scammer impersonated Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). Amazon impersonation scams are still prevalent, and credit card fraud calls continue. The UK is seeing a growth in cryptocurrency and immigration scams that reflect prevailing economic pressures and policy discussions.
45. Canada’s Quality-Over-Quantity Issue.
The average Canadian phone user caught a break with only an average of 4 spam calls per month. On the flip side, 7% of those calls were fraudulent. This indicates that the scammers targeting Canadians are far more selective and are putting more effort into each attack. By 2024, Amazon scams persisted as the #1 threat Canada faced and appeared to peak in activity by mid-April. Government impersonation scams also showed up frequently, especially during tax time and in periods when people are enrolling in benefits programs.
2026 Evolving Threats: What Is Next
46. The Rise of “Vishing-as-a-Service.”
Just like legit businesses, crime is becoming increasingly specialized. The emergence of “vishing-as-a-service” operation involves separate groups of criminals covering various aspects of the scam. One group steals the data, another group makes the calls, and another group takes care of laundering the money. This means that scams are becoming more complex and professional, and this makes it more difficult to detect fraud. It is possible the person on the phone is also being deceived and believes they work for a legitimate company.
A criminal group may have recruited the person and built a complete fake “business infrastructure.” This means scams are becoming more professional and sophisticated, making it more difficult to detect fraud. It is possible that the individual calling you is also being deceived into believing they are working for a legitimate company because they have been recruited by a criminal organization that has created a complete fake “business infrastructure.”
47. AI-Driven and Influencing Emotions.
Moving beyond voice cloning, AI is now being utilized to analyze the victim’s social media profile and use the data to help formulate tactics used to manipulate. Scammers are now able to develop uniquely personalized stories that relate to one’s emotional fear or interest, or even family situation, about which they have analyzed based on social media. For example, if your social media identifies you as a dog owner, they might call you pretending to be from a veterinary insurance company. If you’re posting often about elderly parents, they might impersonate Medicare representatives with urgent updates about changes to coverage.
48. Hybrid Multi-Channel Vishing.
In 2025, the most advanced vishing scams incorporate phone calls with other channels. For instance, a scammer could send you a fake email, then fake a call, “verify” the email information with you, or text with a fake security code while you’re on the phone to make their yarn more believable. A multi-channel approach is more deceptive than one channel because it tries to mimic the communication pattern that real companies use, which makes the fraud much harder to identify.
Other Statistics
49. Scammers Are Most Likely to Target the Southern States.
As per the 2021 Scam Shield Report of T-Mobile, Southern states such as Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida received the most number of scam calls in 2021. Moreover, scammers hit the residents of Fort Worth and Dallas the most.
50. People Are Most Likely to Lose Money if The Scammer Contracts via Phone Call.
According to the reports of the FTC in 2021, victims of voice scams lost an average of around 1,200 USD, while those who were contacted through email, text, or websites lost a lower sum of money. That may be because of a scammer’s heavy pressure while speaking to the prey directly via phone call.
51. Scammers Usually Impersonate Authentic Businesses.
The State of the Call survey 2022 of Hiya states that around 62% of the total scam calls in 2021 had the scammers lie about their identity. And as a result, 12% of prey cease their contact with the impersonated authentic business.
52. Yorkshire and Humber Are the Most-Targeted British Locations for Vishing Attacks.
National Accident Helpline found that individuals in the Humber and Yorkshire received more spam calls in 2021 than people in other locations of the United Kingdom. 66% of these individuals received cold calls frequently, with around 20% of them receiving more than one call per day.
53. 38% of Businesses Have No Idea Whether the Customers Withered Their Calls as Spam Calls or Not.
Although most customers like to communicate with various businesses over calls (mainly if they’re talking to an insurance company or bank), customers are doubtful about unknown numbers. Meanwhile, around 38% of companies don’t know if the customers marked them as “conceivably fraudulent.” Besides that, 32% of enterprises know if they’re being flagged as a spam call and are ready to spend a premium to get their organization’s company ID verified.
54. Spam Call Period Was Down to 12 Seconds in 2021.
The State of the Phone Call 2021 report of Hiya states that a moderate spam call merely lasts 12 seconds. From these statistics, it’s pretty evident that people are growing more conscious of scammers and scam callers.
55. Scammers Approach Prey with Essential Personal Information.
Scam callers do their study on victims before making a scam call to increase the probability of a successful scam. In fact, in 2019, 75% of those who failed 1,000 USD or more in a vishing scam claimed that the scammer already possessed their necessary personal information before the scam call.
56. Scam Callers Register the Home Addresses of Victims Before Scam Calls.
As per the recent statistics, around 39% of vishing victims claimed that the scam callers had already learned their home addresses before initiating the call. Similarly, in approximately 17% of cases, scammers possessed some or most of the victims’ social security numbers.
57. Scammers Fooled People Into Offering Access to Their Data.
The scam call report in 2020 examined the chance of a victim in vishing attacks being tricked into passing over data. The number of people who handed over their confidential data to scam callers in 2020 was near about 3.7 times more than in 2019.
58. Scam Callers Can Quickly Acquire Credit Card Details.
In 2020, First Orion surveyed various individuals worldwide on the impact of vishing involving financial information about their scam call reports. As per the reports, people providing their credit card or SSN information to a scam caller were affected 6.5 times more in 2020 than in the previous year.
59. The majority of The Scam Calls in the United States Use Number Spoofing.
According to the scam trends report of First Orion, about 70% of scam calls in the United States use number (neighborhood) spoofing to scam victims. However, the FCC has introduced SHAKEN/STIR. It’s a caller ID authentication system designed to make this type of fraudulent activity more difficult.
Additional Insights: The Psychology and Tactics Behind Vishing
Why There’s a Distinct Difference Between Phone Scams and Email Scams
There is solid psychology behind why vishing works so well. When someone calls you and claims to be from your bank, your brain does four things that don’t happen when you get phished via email:
- Immediate urgency – You don’t have the option of telling them “let me think about it” and getting back to them later.
- Perceived authority – People’s voices confer authority in a way that text doesn’t convey.
- Social compliance – We are pragmatically conditioned to be polite when we talk to someone in conversations.
- Cognitive overload – Listening to someone speak to respond and analyze what they are saying at the same time is hard.
This is exactly why someone who would never fall for an email from a “Nigerian prince” might hand over their social security number to a person on the phone who claims to be from Medicare.
The Geographic Targeting Strategy
Scammers are no longer just calling random telephone numbers; they are forming situations that target specific areas based on demographics and economy. Beginning in 2024, we can see clear patterns:
- Southern and Southwestern US states are hit the hardest, likely due to larger retiree populations (which are prime targets for Medicare/Social Security scams).
- Areas where tech workers are concentrated experience more “tech support” scams.
- Locations that have sizeable immigrant populations see more immigration-related fraud/scam calls.
This targeting strategy allows the “professional fraudster” character to be more believable because it caters to the local issues and demographics, allowing the strategy schematics to come together.
The “Warm-Up” Strategy is Becoming Standard
A traditional vishing or scam operation starts with a call where the scammer will want to get your money or information right away. Today’s more modern “vishing operations” will use a “warm-up” strategy:
- 1st call: A seemingly innocent survey call or verification call, that gets you engaged to see if you’ll engage with their electric “vishing” character.
- Follow-up calls: They slowly introduce a level of comfort and trust.
- Final call: When you are not waiting for it, they ask you for your money, or give them your peace of mind.
This explains why blocking the phone number is less effective – An aggressive scammer will rotate through many phone numbers, and they spread their attack across weeks, even months.
The Business Impacts: The Often-Overlooked Hidden Costs of Consumer Wariness
Here’s something you won’t see in the news very often: legitimate businesses are facing hardships because consumers have become (and rightfully so!) paranoid about receiving phone calls. About 38% of companies have no idea if customers are flagging their calls as spam, and 32% of companies do know that they are being flagged as spam and are not sure how to fix it. The result is perplexing: legit customer service is harder, and is pushing even more business interactions online or through apps, which adds more opportunities for digital scams!
The “Verification Paradox”
Scammers are now smarter about the security questions. They’ll call and use something like, “I’m calling from your bank.” Then they’ll try something like, “So for security purposes, I need to verify your identity by getting the last four digits of your Social Security number.” Sounds reasonable, right? Except the legit banks already have this information, and they use it to verify themselves to you, not the other way round.
Real banks are going to supply you with information about your account to prove they are legit, and then ask you the security questions. Here’s an important question to ponder: When was the last time your bank called you? Most people will say “rarely,” unless you specifically requested a call back, or there is an actual problem with the account.
The Growth of Voice Spoof Technology
Number spoofing is no longer limited to simply showing fake caller IDs. We are now seeing:
- Neighbor spoofing: Numbers with the same area code and prefix as yours.
- Contact spoofing: Names and numbers from your actual contact listing.
- Business spoofing: Pretending to be specific local businesses using their real phone number.
- Sequential spoofing: Numbers that are only one digit off from legitimate business numbers.
The FCC’s SHAKEN/STIR is meant to combat this, but due to the numerous carriers, implementing this has been slower than expected, and consumers remain exposed.
Sources
Written by Trevor Cooke
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