This article was co-authored by Israel Vieira Pereira, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Dan Hickey. Israel Vieira is a Discourse Analyst and a PhD Candidate in Text and Discourse at Unisul's Language Sciences Program, where he studies the effects and characteristics of hoaxes, fake news and conspiracy theories.
There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
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Constant phone calls from unknown numbers are more than just irritating. Calls from certain area codes inside and outside the US are more likely to be scams than innocent telemarketing, and answering or calling back these numbers can result in a loss of personal information or costly international calling fees. In this article, we’ll show you the most common domestic and international scam area codes to avoid answering calls from, plus the types of scams these callers use and how to protect yourself from fraud.
Things You Should Know
- Ignore calls from 3-digit international area codes that are likely to be scams, including 232, 268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849, and 876.
- Be wary of calls from unknown numbers with your own area code. These may be international caller ID spoof scams that appear local.
- Sign up for the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry and ask your phone provider about robocalling blocking options to reduce the number of scam calls you get.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about avoiding scams, check out our in-depth interview with Israel Vieira Pereira, PhD.
References
- ↑ https://diamondvalleyfcu.org/blog/don%E2%80%99t-answer-calls-these-area-codes
- ↑ https://www.fox7austin.com/news/phone-call-area-codes-scammers-use-most
- ↑ https://www.occ.ohio.gov/avoiding-scams-and-nuisance-calls
- ↑ https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-youre-being-flooded-with-calls-in-your-area-codeand-how-to-stop-them-2018-06-01
- ↑ https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/one-ring-phone-scam
- ↑ https://diamondvalleyfcu.org/blog/don%E2%80%99t-answer-calls-these-area-codes
- ↑ https://www.fcc.gov/how-identify-and-avoid-package-delivery-scams
- ↑ https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/phone.html
- ↑ https://diamondvalleyfcu.org/blog/don%E2%80%99t-answer-calls-these-area-codes