Scam Alert: Beware unfamiliar callers with these area codes

NEW YORK — If you receive a call or text from an unfamiliar area code, you may want to read this first.

Inc.com is reporting that the "one ring scam" that shows up periodically has resurfaced. Scammers are using auto-dialers to call cellphone numbers across the country. They let the phone ring once, just enough for a missed call message to pop up, then hang up.

Frank Dorman, who works with consumer fraud and debt collection in the Federal Trade Commission's Office of Public Affairs, said in an email Friday that the racket "has been going on for a while."

The scammers are hoping you'll call back — and when you do, you'll be slammed with hefty charges, both per-minute and international. Many reported reaching an automated service with a recording such as, “Hello. You’ve reached the operator, please hold.”

Sometimes the scammers will reportedly play hold music or ads in an attempt to keep victims on the line while the charges add up.

The calls are from phone numbers with three-digit area codes that look like they’re from inside the U.S., but are actually associated with international phone numbers — often in the Caribbean.

According to the FTC, the area codes include 268, 284, 473, 664, 649, 767, 809, 829, 849 and 876.

Inc.com reports that there are actually three versions of this scam now:


    If you receive an unexpected call or text from an area code you don’t recognize, don't answer it. Do a Google search to see where the call is coming from. If it's someone you know, they'll call back.

    The FTC also recommends reviewing your cellphone bill carefully and to contact your provider if there are any suspicious charges. If you are a victim of the scam, file a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission.

    Here are the current international area codes within 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

    Here are the U.S. Territories' area codes (listed by territory):

    American Samoa -- 684

    Guam -- 671

    Northern Mariana Islands -- 670

    Puerto Rico -- 787 and 939

    U.S. Virgin Islands -- 340

    Here are the Canadian area codes (listed by province):

    Alberta -- 403, 587, and 780

    British Columbia -- 236, 250, 604, and 778

    Manitoba -- 204 and 431

    New Brunswick -- 506

    Newfoundland -- 709 (879 is being added in 2018)

    Northwest Territories -- 867

    Nova Scotia -- 902

    Nunavut -- 867

    Ontario -- 226, 249, 289, 343, 365, 416, 437, 519, 613, 647, 705, 807, and 905

    Quebec -- 418, 438, 450, 514, 579, 581, 819, and 873

    Saskatchewan -- 306 and 639

    Yukon -- 867

    Nationwide -- 600 (and possibly 622, 633, 644, 655, 677, and 688)

    U.S.-Canada Numbers to Beware:
    Area code -- 900