scams require the existence of victims.
No. An attempted scam with 0 victims is still a scam.
a scam implies a fraud or swindle, which requires a victim. that is, you can't defraud "nobody."
if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around and all that.
No. What you're describing is a target, who may or may not become a victim. A scam is a scam even if it's unsuccessful and doesn't defraud anybody, or if it defrauds somebody who you think deserves it.