--- title: BBB research indicates scam victims are more like you than you think description: Sound like what you would envision? That’s what I would say. Well, the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust did some research on phone scam victims and their findings may surprise you. image: https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Its-all-fun-and-games-until-someone-gets-scammed.png --- [![Hiya logo](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) Solutions Solutions [For Mobile Operators Protect your network](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) [For Businesses Brand your calls](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) [For People Get the mobile app](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) ###### Webinar Branded Calling 101 Weekly Webinar Make your company's calls more recognizable. Learn how Hiya can drive value for your business. [Sign up today Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/lp/webinar-series-intro-to-hiya-branded-call) Products Connect ###### [Branded Call Display your branded caller ID](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/branded-call) ###### [Number Registration Display your branded caller ID](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) ###### [View Plans Flexible pricing for teams of all sizes](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/pricing) Protect ###### [Spam Analytics Stop spam & fraud on your mobile network](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/spam-analytics) ###### [AI Voice Detection Real-time AI voice detection](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/ai-voice-detection) Mobile apps ###### [Hiya Spam Blocker Fraud & AI voice protection](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) ###### [Hiya AI Phone Productivity for busy people](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-ai-phone) ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/sotc-report.avif) ###### Report State of the Call 2026 86% of unidentified calls go unanswered. Read the benchmark report for what is happening in voice today, and what you can do to drive business. [Read the report Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/state-of-the-call) Why Hiya? Overview [Why Hiya Your voice innovation partner](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya) [How it works Get started quickly & easily](https://www.hiya.com/how-it-works) [Customer Stories Real companies, real results](https://www.hiya.com/case-studies) [Voice Intelligence Platform Industry’s leading voice platform](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/voice-intelligence-platform) [Trust Center Compliance, security, & privacy](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/trust-center) Company [About Leadership and history](https://www.hiya.com/company/about) [Careers We're hiring!](https://www.hiya.com/company/careers) [Contact us Get in touch](https://www.hiya.com/contact-us) ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/bclc-hero-img.webp) ###### Customer Story BCLC increases business KPIs with Hiya With Hiya Branded Call BCLC was able to increase contact rates, campaign efficiency, and revenue. [Read their story Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/customer-stories/bclc) Resources Resources [Resource Center](https://www.hiya.com/resources) [Partner Program](https://partners.hiya.com/) [Get Support](https://hiya.com/support) [Developer Docs](https://developer.hiya.com/) [Hiya Blog](https://blog.hiya.com/) [Newsroom](https://www.hiya.com/newsroom) [Events](https://www.hiya.com/events) ###### eBook 10 Tips for customer-friendly phone calls Prevent caller reputation issues and complaints with customer-friendly calling practices. [Read eBook Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/resources/ebooks/10-tips-for-customer-friendly-phone-calls) [Get Started Arrow Right](https://www.hiya.com/#audience) [Log in](https://connect.hiya.com/login) [Get started](https://www.hiya.com/#audience) - [Home](https://hiya.com) - [Blog](https://blog.hiya.com) - [BBB research indicates scam victims are more like you than ...](https://blog.hiya.com/bbb-phone-scam-victims/) # BBB research indicates scam victims are more like you than you think [Hiya Team](https://blog.hiya.com/author/hiya-team) Sep. 20, 2020 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-fb.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.hiya.com/bbb-phone-scam-victims/) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-x.svg)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.hiya.com/bbb-phone-scam-victims/&text=BBB+research+indicates+scam+victims+are+more+like+you+than+you+think) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/icon-linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.hiya.com/bbb-phone-scam-victims/) ## At a glance ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Its-all-fun-and-games-until-someone-gets-scammed.png) When asked to describe the typical victim of phone scams, most people say the same thing: *Elderly, uneducated, low income, not financially stable, naïve, etc. * Sound like what you would envision? That’s what I would say. Well, the [BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust](http://www.bbbmarketplacetrust.org/) did some research on phone scam victims and their findings may surprise you. Most individuals believe that the only person who would fall for a phone scam is someone “not like *moi”* (or “me” for those who don’t speak français). Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents also said females were more likely than males to get scammed**,** but I like to think that’s just because women are more known for their nurturing, caring side than those brutes of men \[not you, Dad\]. In other words, what the BBB calls the “pitied” victims: those who elicit a desire to help and protect verses the “scorned” victims: those who are ignorant or stupid. All right, so we’re all picturing your average Joe/Jane here getting scammed:   ![The-Stereotypical-2](https://blog.hiya.com/hs-fs/hubfs/The-Stereotypical-2.png?width=600&name=The-Stereotypical-2.png)   Well, we all pictured wrong. Survey respondents who acknowledged losing money to a phone scam in the prior year were both younger AND more educated than the sample as a whole. We’re talking 25-34 year olds with a college degree. \[Looks over left shoulder, and right shoulder, hangs head….ugh, that’s me. CURSE MY DEMOGRAPHICS!\] Not so fast, 35-44 and 45-54 year olds, don’t consider yourselves out of this game. You tied for 2nd place in most likely to get duped. But don’t worry. Even if you’re residing in or nearby the “most likely scam victims” category, there is still hope for us yet. Nearly 80% of all respondents said that having knowledge of different scams and how they’re executed *prior* to being targeted was highly preventative. Now, in order to protect your future self from getting scammed, take these two steps: 1. [Protect your phone](http://thedroidguy.com/2016/07/best-caller-id-app-filter-block-spam-phone-calls-hiya-vs-truecaller-1062034). The best approach is a *proactive* one. Write that down. Find a phone or an app that provides phone protection such as spam alerts or auto-blocking for fraudulent calls. If fraudsters can’t get through to you, they can’t scam you. 2. Do your research. The BBB offers an interactive tool called [Scam Tracker](https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us/) where consumers can report scams and fraud. See what scams are floating in your area, track a specific scam, or for schadenfreude, you can even see how much money has been lost. To read the full white paper “Cracking the Invulnerability Illusion” from the [BBB](https://www.bbb.org/), click on the image below:   ![bbb](https://blog.hiya.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bbb.jpg?width=528&name=bbb.jpg)   [![banner-hiya-reg](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/banner-hiya-reg.jpg)](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) ### Latest Articles ⚡️ - Hiya awarded 16 G2 Summer 2026 badges for branded caller ID Lena Prickett Jul. 9, 2026 - How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 - How to check phone numbers for spam labels Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ## Related articles ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/rogers-toronto-event-blog-hero.webp) ## [How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams](https://blog.hiya.com/how-canada-is-leading-the-fight-to-stop-bank-scams?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog_How-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels_B.webp) ## [How to check phone numbers for spam labels](https://blog.hiya.com/how-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels?hsLang=en) Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Hiya%20x%20DNA-blog@2x.webp) ## [Hiya and DNA Finland launch network-level call protection](https://blog.hiya.com/hiya-and-dna-finland-launch-network-level-call-protection?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 2, 2026 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/linkedin-1.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hiyainc) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/facebook-1.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/hiyainc/) ###### Products - Connect - [Number Registration](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) - [Branded Call](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/branded-call) - [View Plans](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/pricing) - Protect - [Spam Analytics](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/spam-analytics) - [AI Voice Detection](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/ai-voice-detection) - Apps - [Hiya Spam Blocker](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) - [Hiya AI Phone](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-ai-phone) ###### Solutions - Company size - [Enterprise](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/enterprise) - [Call Centers](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/call-center) - [Small and Medium](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) - Service providers - [Operators](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) - [OEMs and technology](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/technology-partners) ###### Considering Hiya? - [Why Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya) - [How it Works](https://www.hiya.com/how-it-works) - [Customer Stories](https://www.hiya.com/case-studies) - [Voice Intelligence Platform](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/voice-intelligence-platform) - [Trust Center](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/trust-center) - [Modern Slavery](https://www.hiya.com/company/modern-slavery) - [About Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/company/about) - [Careers: We're hiring!](https://www.hiya.com/company/careers) - [Contact us](https://www.hiya.com/contact-us) ###### Resources - [Resource Center](https://www.hiya.com/resources) - [Partner Program](https://partners.hiya.com/) - [Get Support](https://hiya.com/support) - [Developer Docs](https://developer.hiya.com/) - [Hiya Blog](https://hiya.com/blog) - [Events](https://www.hiya.com/events) - [Press Kit](https://www.hiya.com/newsroom#press-kit) ![ANAB](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-anab.svg) ![ISO 27001](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iso27017.png) ![AICPA](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-aicpa.svg) ![IAF](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iaf.svg) [Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/privacy) [Terms of Service](https://www.hiya.com/legal/terms-of-service) [App Data Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/app-data-protection-and-privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Hiya Team", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/author/hiya-team" }, "dateModified" : "2022-09-07T15:06:42.603Z", "datePublished" : "2020-09-20T22:54:27.000Z", "headline" : "BBB research indicates scam victims are more like you than you think", "image" : [ "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Its-all-fun-and-games-until-someone-gets-scammed.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.hiya.com/bbb-phone-scam-victims/", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-logo-3.svg" }, "name" : "Hiya Inc." } } ```