BY: Steven Barasch
I don’t why people are still answering their phone and text from telephone numbers not in their contacts list. Scammers only need a very small amount of information that can be used against you. In case you are answering those calls or even calling the numbers back, you need to know the following:
Clever crooks have found a workaround. They’re making their calls using an area code (473) that appears to be domestic but is actually the area code for the island of Grenada and other islands. Despite being outside the U.S., these areas use the same country code as ours: +1. If you call or text back a 473 number, you’ll quickly run up your phone bill. This is similar to earlier scams involving numbers with a 900-area code. Remember those? Now they use an auto dialer. They call and hang up before anyone answers. They’ll do this several times, hoping you’ll eventually call back.
They’ll also call and play a recording of someone in distress and then hang up. Again, they’re banking on you calling back.
They also employ this trick while pretending to be someone in authority: a collection agency, member of law enforcement or doctor treating a relative.
In the third version of the scam, a criminal sends a text message similar to the voice recording trick. They’ll write that they need help and need you to text or call back. The message may seem like it was sent to the wrong person by accident, but it went exactly where it needs to go — an unsuspecting victim.
In addition to the 473 and 900 area codes, here are more area codes that should raise red flags for you.
International area codes that use the +1 country code:
242 — Bahamas
441 — Bermuda
784 — St. Vincent and Grenadines
246 — Barbados
473 — Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique
809, 829 and 849 — Dominican Republic
264 — Anguilla
649 — Turks and Caicos
868 — Trinidad and Tobago
268 — Antigua
664 — Montserrat
876 — Jamaica
284 — British Virgin Islands
721 — Sint Maarten
758 — St. Lucia
869 — St. Kitts and Nevis
345 — Cayman Islands
767 — Dominica
U.S. Territories that use the +1 country code
American Samoa — 684
Guam — 671
Northern Mariana Islands — 670
Puerto Rico — 787 and 939
U.S. Virgin Islands — 340
Remember, scammers can spoof phone numbers from any area code, not just the ones listed here.
If you see one of these area codes don’t answer — It’s probably a scam
by Albert Khoury, komando.com
November 12, 2022 06:00 PM
Email and text messages from scammers usually show signs that you’re dealing with a crook. There are spelling errors, threats to act now and suspicious links. It’s not always so easy to tell when a phone call is coming from a scammer, but we’re here to help. Tap or click here for five surefire phrases that you’re talking to a scammer on the phone.
It turns out there’s yet another way to tell when you’re dealing with a phone scammer: the area code. These three digits indicate the regional location of a phone number within the United States.
How can an area code tell you that a scammer is calling? Read on to find out.
The ol’ area code switcheroo
When you get a call from a number that is outside the country, it’s a red flag. Unless you’re expecting a call from Nigeria, don’t answer it!
Clever crooks have found a workaround. They’re making their calls using an area code (473) that appears to be domestic but is actually the area code for the island of Grenada and other islands. Despite being outside the U.S., these areas use the same country code as ours: +1.
There are a few ways scammers are targeting victims via these numbers:
They call and hang up before anyone answers. They’ll use an autodialer to do this several times, hoping you’ll eventually call back.
They’ll also call and play a recording of someone in distress and then hang up. Again, they’re banking on you calling back.
They also employ this trick while pretending to be someone in authority: a collection agency, member of law enforcement or doctor treating a relative.
In the third version of the scam, a criminal sends a text message similar to the voice recording trick. They’ll write that they need help and need you to text or call back. The message may seem like it was sent to the wrong person by accident, but it went exactly where it needs to go — an unsuspecting victim.
If you call or text back a 473 number, you’ll quickly run up your phone bill. This is similar to earlier scams involving numbers with a 900 area code. Remember those?
If someone is in distress, why would they call a stranger? They’d call their local authorities. Don’t engage with these liars.
RELATED: Warning: Scammers are pretending to be your cable and internet company
Watch out for these other area codes, too
Scammers run these campaigns from outside the U.S. while making you think they’re calling from inside the country.
In addition to the 473 and 900 area codes, here are more area codes that should raise red flags for you.
International area codes that use the +1 country code:
242 — Bahamas
441 — Bermuda
784 — St. Vincent and Grenadines
246 — Barbados
473 — Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique
809, 829 and 849 — Dominican Republic
264 — Anguilla
649 — Turks and Caicos
868 — Trinidad and Tobago
268 — Antigua
664 — Montserrat
876 — Jamaica
284 — British Virgin Islands
721 — Sint Maarten
758 — St. Lucia
869 — St. Kitts and Nevis
345 — Cayman Islands
767 — Dominica
U.S. Territories that use the +1 country code
American Samoa — 684
Guam — 671
Northern Mariana Islands — 670
Puerto Rico — 787 and 939
U.S. Virgin Islands — 340
Remember, scammers can spoof phone numbers from any area code, not just the ones listed here.
The bottom line: If you don’t recognize a phone number, don’t answer. If it’s a legitimate important call, they’d leave a voicemail.