Nearly 45 million people in the UK were targeted by scamming text messages or phone calls over the summer, according to telecommunications regulator Ofcom.
About half reported receiving a scam call or message at least once a week.
A September poll of 2,000 adults found that nearly one million people had been misled by a message or call they received.
Text scams are most common between the ages of 16 and 34, with two-thirds receiving one between June and August.
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Older people are more often targeted using their landline phones, with 61% of over 75s receiving a scam call, but all ages are at risk.
UK residents who believe they have been targeted or are the victims of a scam, can report a text message by forwarding it to 7726, the numbers on the keyboard that contain the letters for spam.
However, Ofcom found that 79% of mobile phone users were unaware of this service.
Call scam must be reported to Action Fraud.
Lindsey Fussell, director of Ofcom’s networks and communications group, urged the public not to respond to messages that don’t seem quite correct.
“Criminals who defraud people using phone and texting scams can cause enormous financial hardship and damage to their victims and their tactics are becoming more sophisticated,” he said.
“Be wary of any unsolicited contact. Put your phone down if you suspect this is a scam call and don’t click on any links in text messages that you are unsure of.”
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