Egidio
Studies & Resources · 2026

Scams, Spam, and Mental Load

Academic research and official reports on the cognitive impact of spam and the psychological consequences of fraud.

On this page: 1. Attention and notifications 2. Psychological impact of fraud 3. Regional disparities 4. Seniors and vulnerable populations 5. Our local guides & analysis

1. Attention and notifications

Constant notifications and spam calls are not just a minor annoyance. Cognitive science documents that every interruption has a lasting effect on our attention span.

23 min 15s average time required to fully return to a deep task after a single phone interruption. Gloria Mark, "Attention Span" (2023)
x3 reduction in daily stress when users limit their notification checks to three times a day. Kushlev, Proulx & Dunn, "Silence Your Phones" (CHI 2016)

Gloria Mark's work shows that our attention residue persists long after we dismiss a spam text or silence a robocall. Restoring focus requires significant cognitive effort, accumulating fatigue throughout the day.

2. Psychological impact of fraud

Falling victim to a scam is never just a financial loss. Institutional research highlights severe psychological consequences that are often underestimated.

~2/3 of financial fraud victims report severe non-financial consequences: extreme stress, anxiety, or depression. FINRA Investor Education Foundation, "Non-Traditional Costs of Financial Fraud" (2015)
47% of victims blame themselves for what happened, which directly prevents reporting and seeking support. FINRA Investor Education Foundation, "Blame and Shame in the Context of Financial Fraud"

A systematic review in Frontiers in Psychology (2026) shows that fraud victimization erodes trust and causes deep psychological distress. Guilt and shame remain the primary reasons why victims suffer in silence.

3. Regional disparities

Exposure to spam and scams varies significantly across different global regions, in both volume and specific methods.

68 Md spam or fraudulent calls identified globally in 2025. Truecaller Insights 2025
79% of unknown calls received in Indonesia are spam or scam attempts—the highest rate measured. Truecaller Insights 2025
$18–37 Bn estimated losses of East and Southeast Asian scam centers in 2023 alone. UNODC, "Inflection Point" (2025)

In specific markets like South America and Southeast Asia, unsolicited robocalls dominate daily life, while regional law enforcement agencies note that fraud networks operate at an industrial scale.

4. Seniors and vulnerable populations

$4.88 Bn lost by seniors (60+) to fraud in the US in 2024, with an average loss of $83,000 per incident. FBI IC3, Elder Fraud Report 2024

While studies published in Frontiers in Psychology (2022) indicate that seniors are not necessarily victimized more frequently than younger cohorts, they lose much more per incident. Isolation, mild cognitive decline, and unfamiliarity with rapid technological shifts make them prime targets for structured scam scripts.

Why this research matters to Egidio

These studies confirm the fundamental principles behind Egidio: blocking spam and scams is not just a security choice, but a way to reduce cognitive overload and reclaim your focus.

100% on your phone. Egidio detects spam and scam signals directly on your device, without sending your messages or calls to any server.

Try Egidio Free Call blocking is free, forever.

5. Our local guides & analysis

Explore our native guides and detailed scam analysis for the EN market:

Methodology and Sources

Every figure cited on this page is sourced from official regulators, academic publications, or verified industry reports. We strictly exclude unverified or unsourced statistics.