An area code is a section of a telephone number that denotes the area of the call you are receiving on your phone. This section of a telephone number doesn’t need to be dialed if the call is to be made in the same area. It is required when you are dialing the number to another area having another area code. This code is present just after the country code and before the local number in a telephone number. Here we will see about Area codes not to answer
What are the speciality of Area Codes?
- Area codes are three digits in the US, it comes before the local number which is seven digits. In those seven digits, three digits are known as prefixes and four digits are termed prefixes. Area codes are used to denote a larger area like a state or country whereas prefix before a local number is used to tell a more specific location such as a town.
- North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is an organization which set this system of numbering. It has set a standard that is used by some 24 nations for telephone numbering. It also set rules and ensures easy way of connectivity among people of different nationalities. It also set limitations on the format of these telephone number codes.
List of area codes not to answer
In this era of technology scammers and spammers are active and want to know your information and use that for their benefit. All the scammers do it so smartly that if you don’t give proper and enough attention, you can be the next victim of those scammers. There is a list of numbers that you should ignore and be careful and attentive if answering. In surveys, it is found that around 67% of Americans do not care about the area codes and check the voice notes if received.
The one ring scam
This scam is simple and popular among scammers. In this scam, you receive a call but it ends before you can answer it. It may happen several times with you. If you answer the phone call you may not hear anything from the other side. And if you call back on the same number you will hear a recorded message which will cost you more than 20$ for the first minute. Using this trick scammers collect money from you and earn too much in a day. Hence it is necessary to be attentive while answering such calls.
Ring and run
In such scams, you will receive a call in which the scammer will create a sense of urgency. You will be asked to help them. They may say that they are from the hospital, law enforcement, or other organizations. After getting your attention they may cut the call and ask you to call back. Calling back will lead to buying a costly subscription for using a phone call. In some cases, if they ask for your details like bank account or credit card number.
Calls from the Caribbean
The Caribbean often uses one ring scam and ring and runs the scam. This is commonly used because it may look like a local number as the US and other belonging countries use +1 in their numbers. This creates confusion for the common people as they think it to be a local number. If you find that the call is not legitimate try not to answer this area codes . Here are a few area codes which have +1 as the country code.
- 232: Sierra Leone
- 242: Bahamas
- 246: Barbados
- 284: British Virgin Islands
- 268: Antigua and Barbuda
- 345: Cayman Islands
- 441: Bermuda
- 473: Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique
- 664: Montserrat
- 649: Turks and the Caicos Islands
- 758: Saint Lucia
- 767: Commonwealth of Dominica
- 721: Sint Maarten
- 784: Saint Vincent and Grenadines
- 809, 829, and 849: The Dominican Republic
- 868: Trinidad and Tobago
- 876: Jamaica
- 869: Saint Kitts and Nevis
Area codes 712 and 218
Area codes 712 and 218, this is the code of Western Iowa and Northern Minnesota respectively, usually scammers use this area code for scamming. If you are receiving calls from these area codes, then you must be attentive while answering them. Do not answer, even if your answer does not reveal your credentials or important information like your account or credit card number.
What to do if you continuously receive spam calls?
If you still receive spam calls from several area codes in which you are asked to reveal your secret information or if you are getting charged for the call you can file a complaint about the call to the consumer complaint center. It will help you in get rid of such scams or fraud calls. After filing the complaint you will receive your report within the next few weeks and your issue of fraud calls may get solved.
Conclusion:
Since it is a common problem every person may face at some time in their life. It is also important to make people know more about it. If you find someone suffering from such scams suggests not to take such calls or to make a complaint to the consumer complaint center.
