The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau has warned that scam calls and text messages are becoming the leading way fraudsters target consumers, as it publishes a new study examining how criminals exploit everyday technology.
The report, Blueprint of a Scam, was produced by the BBB’s International Investigations Initiative after analysing more than 433,000 reports submitted to its Scam Tracker since 2022.
Investigators used an artificial intelligence model to identify recurring patterns in the way scammers contacted victims, conducted their schemes and obtained money or personal information.
How phone and text scams operate
The BBB says criminals are making use of legitimate services, including Voice over Internet Protocol phone numbers, robocall systems, website templates, artificial intelligence and social media platforms.
It also warns that online services and social media companies often fail to remove fraudulent material quickly enough to prevent people from being targeted.
The scale of the problem is reflected in recent polling. An AP-NORC survey published in June found that 58 per cent of US adults received texts, calls, emails or online adverts they suspected were scams on a daily basis, while 92 per cent encountered an attempted scam at least once a month.
Separate research from Gallup and the Stop Scams Alliance estimated that Americans lost $68 billion to scams in 2025. The poll also found that 82 per cent of adults believed the government was doing too little to prevent fraud.
The BBB’s report includes an example from a Californian man named Anthony, who received repeated messages claiming he had been pre-approved for a $40,000 loan before the sender tried to move the conversation to a phone call.
To reduce the risk of falling victim, the organisation advises consumers to allow calls from unknown numbers to go to voicemail and to activate spam filters on their mobile phones.
It also warns that a new phone number does not necessarily indicate a new scammer. Fraudsters can generate replacement numbers quickly while repeating the same scheme against the same targets.
The BBB recommends learning to recognise the language commonly used in scam messages and checking businesses independently before sharing information or sending money.
Among its proposals for regulators, the organisation is calling for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule to be expanded so that text messages receive protections similar to phone calls.
It also wants the $50,000 loss threshold for private lawsuits under the Telemarketing Sales Rule to be removed, and has proposed a $200,000 bond for national VoIP companies that could be used to meet fraud-related judgments.
Other recommendations include stronger “know your customer” requirements for communications providers and changes to Section 230 to make it easier to pursue fraud carried out through online platforms.
Consumers can report suspected fraud through the BBB’s Scam Tracker and use the organisation’s business directory to check whether a company is genuine before dealing with it.
