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Reported Area Code 236 Spammers and Scammers. Find out about suspected scam phone calls and other nuisance calls and text messages that are coming from area code 236 - all thanks to our active community of CallerSmart users. Run a reverse phone lookup on any phone.
Jan 23, 2020 · Social Security imposters were the top government imposter scam reported. There were 166,190 reports about the Social Security scam , and the median individual loss was $1,500. Phone calls were the number one way people reported being contacted by scammers.
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Are international phone numbers a scam?
- Overview
- Most Common Scammer Area Codes
- Common Types of Phone Scams
- Protecting Yourself from Phone Scams
- Reporting Phone Scams
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.
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.
Don’t answer unknown calls from these area codes.
While any unknown phone number can be a potential scam, certain area codes appear more commonly. If you don’t recognize a phone number with these area codes, do not answer. The caller may be trying to get personal information from you or trying to make you call an international (likely Caribbean) number and rack up costly per-minute fees. Instead, check your voicemail afterward to see if it was a legitimate caller, or Google the phone number to see if it’s associated with any known scams.
International area codes to avoid:
Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique
Domestic area codes to avoid:
If you know someone from these areas, reach out to them directly with their last known phone number, by email, or on social media to confirm if it was them who called you.
Scammers will call your phone number and hang up after the first ring to pique your curiosity and have you call the number back. These numbers are often international and come from countries that have 3-digit area codes that resemble US area codes (for example, area code 232 is from the country of Sierra Leone). If you call back, you’ll be charged fees and/or per-minute charges for calling internationally, in addition to potentially losing money or private information to the scammer.
Don’t answer or return calls from numbers you don’t recognize. Check to see if the unknown area code is international before calling back, and consider asking your phone service carrier to block outgoing international calls from your line (unless you have a legitimate need to call internationally).
Sign up for the FTC’s
National Do Not Call Registry
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) operates a database where consumers can elect not to receive telemarketing calls. This won’t stop all spam calls, but it will make them easier to identify. Most legitimate telemarketers will not contact you if you’re on the registry, meaning any unknown numbers that you see are likely to be scams.
Contact your phone service provider about scam call blocking options.
Some providers have functionalities to help identify, screen, or block scam calls from reaching your line. US carriers are already federally required to block calls with evidence of caller ID spoofing or other tampering, but they may not automatically block domestic robocalls or other scams from unchanged numbers. Contact your provider to learn about the options they offer—just be aware that these services may cost extra.
Inquire about services to stop scam texts as well, since US federal regulations about blocking scam calls do not apply to text messages.
Contact local police and your state’s consumer protection office first.
Gather all of the information related to the scam, including any phone numbers involved, and report the scam to your state’s consumer protection office (often a division of your state Attorney General’s office). If you’re not sure how to submit a complaint, search for your state’s office information using
if you lost any money, possessions, or personal information. Your local police may not be able to track down the scammer themselves, but having a report on file may support your claims to your phone service provider and other organizations like the FCC or FTC.
File a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Mar 28, 2024 · Card lock scam: (878) 877-1402. Debit card frozen scam: (863) 532-7969. Failed delivery attempt scam: (469) 709-7630. Fake Publisher’s Clearing House win: (805) 637-7243. Student loan forgiveness scam: (202) 221-7923. Weight loss and delivery scam: (312) 339-1227. Wells Fargo text message scam: (865) 630-4266. Unpaid taxes scam: (347) 437-1689.
- How can I check if a phone number is a scam?Search the phone number you suspect is a scam on Google. If anyone has reported it to a website that tracks scams, it should show up in Google's re...
- What numbers should I not answer?You should only answer phone numbers you know. Scammers learn from their mistakes and tend to evolve with the times. Although there are scam area c...
- How can you tell when it's a scammer number?A scammer number is one you don't recognize in your caller ID. Some mobile devices alert you with a "scam likely" notification. Even if you don't h...
- Should I answer 888 numbers?888 numbers indicate it is a toll-free call. Calls made to toll-free numbers are paid for by the recipient rather than the caller, making them part...
- What is the scam block number?Depending on your provider, there are several ways to protect yourself from scams. For example, T-Mobile offers a scam blocker where you can downlo...
Oct 1, 2019 · Other than toll free numbers such as 800, 866, 877, 888, and 855, we identified the following list as the top 10 area codes Americans are receiving as spam: 313 – Detroit 713 – Houston
Dec 18, 2023 · Domestic: Seven Area Codes You Should Wary OfWary Of. 216 – Cleveland, Ohio; 218 – Northern Minnesota; 332 – New York City, New York; 347 – New York City, New York; 646 – New York City, New York; 657 – La Palma, California; 712 – Western Iowa; These area codes have been found to contain a higher-than-normal scam caller rate.
Sep 2, 2022 · For instance, you can see how fraud affects people from different age groups differently, or the types of reports we get from military consumers. Curious about what kinds of scams are in your neck of the woods? Check out this breakout by state or zoom all the way down into your nearest metro area.
