According to the Better Business Bureau, Texans reported losses of $10 million to scams. The actual amount is likely higher.

Many of us think that we are too smart and too worldly to fall victim to a scam, however, scammers are also getting smarter and more sophisticated, too.

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When you picture a scam victim, you likely envision an elderly person. However, according to KXAN Austin, "Consumers between 45 years old and 54 years old were among those that reported the highest total losses at 2.8 million."

And the truth is, anyone of any age can get scammed, if the scam is convincing enough, or if the victim is somehow more vulnerable to the con.

The costliest scams last year involved investments and cryptocurrency. Since crypto is still relatively new, even an intelligent person could be hoodwinked by someone who knows what they are talking about.

Other scams centered around vulnerable areas in many people's lives. Employment scams and romance scams also drained bank accounts.

And even though it might seem "old school" plenty of Texans fell victim to scams over the phone.

Luckily our cell phones can and do filter out a lot of the noise for us. I decline a "Scam Likely" call or "Telemarketer" at least once a day. And I appreciate being saved the waste of my time.

However, scammers get new numbers all the time, some that even look legit and have area codes we recognize as legit. It is normal to pick those calls up what if my family member changed their number? What if this is an important new client or a call from the doctor?

On top of all this uncertainty, the FBI is now warning the public against generative AI scams, according to Forbes. Generative AI can create clips of a loved one's voice asking for financial assistance. It's truly nefarious.

That's why it's important to remain smart, remain vigilant, and know everything you can about current scams. Here is a list of known scam numbers you should never pick up. And if you're feeling very proactive, you can block them.

Don't Answer Calls From These Phone Numbers

We all get a lot of calls from numbers that we don't recognize. Most simply don't answer. However, if you receive a call or a text from one of these numbers, you definitely don't want to respond. In fact, just block these numbers.

Gallery Credit: Travis Sams

LOOK: The biggest scams today and how you can protect yourself from them

Using data from the BBB Scam Tracker Annual Risk Report, Stacker identified the most common and costly types of scams in 2022.

FBI Warning: Five Scams That Are Now On The Rise in Texas

The FBI has issued a warning highlighting some of the most common scams we as Texans now face. Let's take a look to help ourselves and help our loved ones too. Get more on each of them here. 

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