It’s a situation that everybody has been in. One minute you are in the bathtub, cooking dinner, or trying to make it out the door to work when you suddenly hear your phone ring. You check your caller ID and it’s an area code you do not recognize, but there are known area codes to avoid.

Everybody at some point or another has had to deal with a robocall. While over the last decade it has been made easier for people to not have to deal with them, that does not mean they do not still occur frequently. 

It can be enough to drive a person crazy. However, it is possible for you to dodge most such calls by being on the lookout for certain area codes that are red flags.

The Tricks Used

Scammers will often use robocalling technology to call wireless phone numbers and immediately hang up. This is what is known as a “one-ring scam”. The FTC says that these calls appear as though they come from somewhere in the US because they have a three-digit area code. However, there are some territories that use three-digit area codes.

The idea is to trick the person who receives the call into calling the number back. This can lead to being charged high “per-minute” fees, which can add up quickly. The charges may appear on your bill as “premium services” and end up costing you a lot of money.

What Area Codes To Avoid

While the Carribean may sport some of the most awesome honeymoon destinations on earth, these islands are prone to become tools for scammers from across the globe. Because these islands have small populations, it leaves a monumental amount of phone numbers avalible to purchase from their area codes from people and companies across the globe. Here are some of the major red flag area codes and where they come from.

• 284– British Virgin Islands
• 268– Antigua and Barbuda
• 473– Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique
• 649-Turks and Caicos Islands
• 767– Commonwealth of Dominica
• 829– Dominican Republic
• 809– British Virgin Islands
• 849– Dominican Republic
• 876 -Jamaica

There are also area codes in the United States that should be avoided.

• 216: Cleveland, Ohio
• 347: New York City 
• 332: New York City
• 469: Dallas, Texas
• 657: La Palma, California
• 646: Manhattan

Even though the 646 area code in Manhattan is one to be avoided, the Manhattan 212 area code is highly sought after numbers in business. These patterns exist across the U.S.

But, there are area codes in American rural areas that need to be avoided. These numbers are typically part of a scheme called “traffic pumping.” This involves local carriers with high access charge rates entering into a partnership with another company or group that has a high call volume such as adult entertainment calls, chatlines, or “free” conference calls.

These two area codes are known for being connected with traffic pumping.

• 218: northern Minnesota
• 712: western Iowa

There are variations on this scamming system according to the FTC, with the scammers leaving messages imploring the caller to callback to claim a “special prize” or even claiming to have information involving a six or injured relative.

Don’t Be a Victim

Here are tips you can use to avoid becoming a scam victim:

• Avoid answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize.
• Do not return calls to numbers you do not recognize.
• Double check the area code of any call you receive before calling back.
• If you have no need for making international calls you can ask your service provider to block your number from receiving any calls from outside the country

If you are worried that you have been the victim of a scam, then you should contact the FTC.