Dangerous Fake Phone Numbers and Area Codes to Avoid

Have you been receiving phone calls from 954 area code or other area codes that you are not familiar with? Phone scams are on the rise today, so if you’re getting suspicious phone calls or text messages, you should know which are the area codes you need to avoid answering. Read on to find out which are the most dangerous phone numbers and area codes that can cost you money!

Researches have shown that one in four unsolicited calls is believed to be a phone scam. There’s no doubt that telephone scams are a huge and annoying problem these days, for both mobile phone and landline users. In the past, fraudsters used mostly 900 numbers, but now they’ve changed their tactics. They’re getting smarter and more creative, and nowadays they tend to use the advantages of technology to trick people into giving them their private information such as their bank accounts, credit card numbers, passwords, or even downloading certain software to take control of their computers. Scammers use Caller ID spoofing which displays fake caller ID information and allows them to deceive people into thinking that their business is legitimate and that their phone number is local. And if you’re not cautious, they can easily take your hard earned cash, steal your identity, and put you into a difficult situation.

When it comes to phone scams, they come in a lot of forms, but these are the most common scams you might encounter:

Prizes and lottery scams

These types of phone scams usually start with the victim receiving a phone call or a text message claiming that they’ve won a prize such as a vacation or cash. The scammers will tell their potential victim that in order to collect their prize they must first pay a small fee and they might ask for their credit card information. The victim most definitely won’t receive the prizes that they were promised, but the scammers can make charges on their credit card. 

Phishing scams

In these types of scams, the fraudsters might pretend that they’re from the government, from the victim’s bank, their employer, or someone that they owe money to. They use phone calls to trick their potential victim into sharing their personal information which they will later use to apply for credit cards or bank loans. Scammers can take money from their victim bank account and shop using their credit cards, which is called “identity theft”. 

Telemarketing scams

Telemarketing scam is when scammers pretend to be telemarketers who are calling potential targets to offer them deals on specific services and products. They will ask for the victim’s bank account or credit card information in order to pay for the products and then they will use that information to take all the money out of their bank account. Some scammers might send a low quality product that is not what they described, but most of them won’t send anything to the people they have deceived.

Emergency scams

In these types of phone scams, the callers usually pretend to be close friends or family members who are in some kind of trouble. They might ask their victims for money because they have been robbed, or injured in an accident. But, just like with the other phone scams, this is simply a way for them to get access to someone’s bank account. Fraudsters often target elderly people, but anyone can become a victim of this type of scam. 

One ring scams 

This is one of the most common phone scams out there. It’s when the telephone rings only once and then stops – so the scammer on the other end hopes that their victim will call the number back. As soon as the person calls back, they’ll hear a recorded message that is supposed to keep them on the phone. Every time the victim calls the scammer, they’ll be charged high international rates and the scammer will get all or just a part of those fees. 

Now that you know which are the most popular phone scams, it’s time to find out which are the most dangerous area codes you should be wary of. Here are the most dangerous phone area codes to avoid answering:

712 area code – Iowa

218 area code – Minnesota

268 area code –  Antigua and Barbuda

284 area code – British Virgin Islands

473 area code – Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique 

664 area code – Montserrat

649 area code – Turks and Caicos Islands

767 area code – Commonwealth of Dominica

809, 829, 849 area codes – Dominican Republic

876 area code – Jamaica

441 — Bermuda

784 — St. Vincent and Grenadines

246 — Barbados

264 — Anguilla

868 — Trinidad and Tobago

721 — Sint Maarten

758 — St. Lucia

869 — St. Kitts and Nevis

345 — Cayman Islands