That was one of the findings uncovered in Hiya’s 2026 State of the Call report, which is based on a survey of more than 12,000 consumers and 3,600 business professionals in 6 countries, including France.
In France, 45% of respondents said they had lost money to a phone scam. That was significantly higher than in the other European countries. The next-highest figure was 12%, in Germany. On the low end, only 5% of consumers in the UK and 7% of consumers in Spain had lost money to a phone scam.
(Chart) 45% of French respondents lost money to a phone scam in the past year — far higher than Germany (12%), Canada (11%), the US (8%), Spain (7%), and the UK (5%). Source: Hiya 2026 State of the Call Report.
French also report more deepfake calls
Consumers in France also reported receiving more deepfake calls compared to survey respondents in the other countries. Again, almost half of consumers in France (48%) said they had received one or more deepfake calls in the past year.
Deepfake calls use AI to clone the voice of someone the recipient recognizes, usually to trick the recipient into handing over money or personal information.
(Chart) 48% of French consumers knowingly received a deepfake voice call in the past 12 months, the highest among the six countries surveyed (Spain 35%, Germany 33%, Canada 26%, US 24%, UK 18%). Source: Hiya 2026 State of the Call Report.
French consumers respond by ignoring unknown calls
So, how do residents of France protect themselves from all those unwanted calls?
Most of them have stopped answering calls from phone numbers they don’t recognize. In our survey, only 21 % of consumers said they will immediately answer an unidentified call to see who it is.
That means 79% of French consumers will ignore calls from numbers they don’t recognize. Instead, they’re more likely to let it go to voicemail, or reject the call immediately.
(Chart) When faced with an unrecognized number, French consumers are most likely to let it go to voicemail (30%), followed by declining immediately (24%) and Googling the number while it rings (24%). Source: Hiya 2026 State of the Call Report.
So, how can businesses get through to the people they call?
28% of French consumers say that the one piece of information that would make them more likely to answer is to see the business name when the phone rings. Seeing the specific reason for the call was mentioned as the next most common answer.
(Chart) Seeing a verified business name (28%) is the top factor that would make French consumers answer a business call, followed by knowing the reason for the call (26%) and seeing the number isn't flagged as spam (25%).
New regulation poses calling challenges
A new regulation that went into effect August 11, 2026 will pose additional challenges for businesses making outbound calls to French citizens. The new law states that businesses may not call a consumer for marketing purposes unless that consumer has given prior consent. There are some exceptions, but the new law is a big change from the previous rule where consumers opted out of calls by registering their phone numbers on the Bloctel do-not-call list.
The new law will certainly make it harder to reach prospects — ones who have not yet opted in. However, it may make it easier to reach customers and others who have opted in. By opting in, customers confirm that they are open to phone calls from a specific business.
But here’s a caution: if a customer has opted in, the one thing you don’t want to do is to call them from an unrecognized number. As our survey shows, 79% of people will ignore those calls.
So, how can you reach people who have opted in? You need to identify yourself on caller ID when you call.
Let your customers know who’s calling with branded caller ID
You may have registered your business name with your network operator, but you can’t assume that the people you call are seeing it. Some calls may show nothing, and other calls may get flagged as spam. And most businesses have no visibility into when any of this is happening.
>> See how your business calls appear on mobile devices
If the display of your calls is inconsistent across devices and networks, consider adding branded caller ID. Hiya Branded Call enables businesses to display their name, logo, and reason for the call directly on the recipient’s phone screen.
Hiya’s Branded Call enables businesses to display their name and reason for the call directly on the recipient’s mobile phone screen.
Branded call is the perfect solution to reach customers and prospects who have opted in. They are expecting a call from you, so when you identify who is calling and why, they are likely to answer.
Don’t let your important calls go unanswered. Learn more about Hiya Branded Call or contact one of our representatives in France.
