What are Cambria County Area Codes?
Area codes were established as part of the North American Numbering Plan in the 1940s. Before that period, telephony communications relied on human operators to connect long-distance calls. With the creation of area codes, regions were separated into geographical areas and assigned area codes. Area codes are three-digit prefixes that identify one of the telephone areas into which the United States is divided and that precedes the local telephone number when dialing a call between areas. You can find the area code of any geographical area in the United States by using an area code lookup tool online.
Only one area code currently serves Cambria County – Area codes 814.
Area Code 814
Area code 814 is one of the original 86 area codes created by AT&T and the Bell Systems in 1947. It originally served central and northwestern Pennsylvania. It currently serves locations such as Erie, Altoona, State College, Johnstown, Meadville, St. Marys, Oil City, Warren, and Bradford.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Cambria County?
According to a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2018, 43.4% of Pennsylvania residents aged 18 and above used wireless-only telephony service, while only 4.3% used wired telephony service exclusively. Among individuals below the age of 18 in the state, 52.5% used wireless-only telephony service while 2.3% used wired telephony service exclusively.
Flexibility is a top consideration for many Cambria County residents in choosing cell phone plans. Most cellphone users want customizable plans that allow them to pay for only the data they need, the texts they send, and the minutes they use. All cell phone plans include some combination of talk time, texts, and data. You can find individual plans, family plans, and no-contract plans from the major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and the smaller carriers in Cambria County. Individual plans are suited for single persons with no children or spouse. Family plans place everyone on the same wireless plans and are useful for families, while no-contract plans give you the benefit of great coverage without the hassle of being locked in. No-contract plans are commonly referred to as pay-as-you-go plans.
While flexibility should matter a great deal to most cell phone users, coverage is just as important, if not more. Owing to the fierce competition among wireless carriers in America, wireless services and coverage have improved in nearly all locations in the country in recent years. Verizon has the best overall coverage in Cambria's largest city of Johnstown and the county seat of Ebensburg with 94% and 99% coverage scores respectively. In Johnstown, AT&T's coverage is rated second best with an overall coverage score of 82%. T-Mobile's coverage is rated 76%, while Sprint's coverage is rated 60%.
You can also purchase cell phone plans from the smaller carriers. Typically called Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), these smaller carriers have decent coverage in many locations. Although they do not own their own infrastructure, they purchase data and minutes from the MNOs and rely on their infrastructure to provide niche-based services to many customers.
Mobile broadband connections are now faster and widespread enough that Cambria County residents can cut down the voice-service component of their cell phone plans, if not completely eliminate it. This is achieved through switching to VoIP phone services. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that makes internet calls possible through broadband internet connections or IP networks. Some wireless providers already offer internet calling apps that come preinstalled on phones. Alternatively, you can download VoIP applications to make calls to other VoIP application users or subscribe to a VoIP plan that allows you to make calls to regular phone numbers.
What are Cambria County Phone Scams?
Cambria County phone scams are fraudulent cons of crooked individuals targeted at stealing money or obtaining sensitive information from Cambria County residents. Phone scams have been in existence since the early days of landline telephony communications. However, the advent of modern technologies used in smartphones and spoofing techniques have made many more scams believable to victims. Phone scammers may assume the identities of known persons or businesses to lure people into giving away money. Victims later turn to the businesses or entities used in the scam only to find out that the companies or bodies were never involved in the illicit acts.
Cambria County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.
What are Cambria County Law Enforcement Impersonation Scams?
Many Cambria County residents have fallen victim to the law enforcement impersonation scam. Here, a caller claims to work at the Cambria County Sheriff's Department (CCSD) or a local police department. These callers leave messages claiming to have documentation for residents and callback numbers. When residents call the numbers, they are directed to messages informing them that they have entered the voicemail of the Cambria County Sheriff's Department.
The con artists have been able to spoof the caller ID information of the CCSD or other local PDs and then inform targets they have outstanding warrants for failing to appear for jury duties or ticket offenses. To avoid arrests, targets are told to transfer money through wire transfers to unverified accounts or send money through gift cards and prepaid cards. Phone lookup applications can help unmask the real identities of phone scammers.
What are Cambria County Tech Support Scams?
Computer tech support scams are one of the most reported phone scams in Cambria County. The scam uses fake pop-up displays from trustworthy tech companies, such as Microsoft and Apple, to trick Cambria County residents into paying for bogus services and tech products. Tech support scammers make convincing claims that there are serious issues with targets’ computers such as malware and virus infestations on their devices. The fake pop-up ads may appear intermittently or completely hijack targets’ browsers, stopping them from using their devices until the problems are “fixed.” These ads usually contain the numbers to call which turn out to be the numbers of the con artists.
Tech support scam tricks include pressure tactics from scammers coercing targets into buying unnecessary computer repair services, service plans, anti-virus protection, or other related products. In some instances, victims pay for these products or services and never receive them. In other cases, the scammer asks for remote access to run some diagnostic services which are in turn used by the fraudster to install malware and spyware to steal sensitive information and pry on the target. Phone lookup applications can help unmask the real identities of phone scammers. You can use them to verify the true identity of the person behind the numbers in the pop-up ads.
What are Cambria County Utility Scams?
Cambria County residents are now being targeted in a new twist to the utility scam. In the previous variation of the scam, utility customers are told they missed payments and must pay up immediately or risk disconnection to the utility services. The utility may be water, gas, or electric power service. In the new variation of the scam, scammers now inform residents that they have paid their bills too early or overpaid.
These con artists promise refunds and ask residents for their utility account information, along with their bank routing information and their credit or debit card numbers for direct refunds. You can use a reverse cell phone lookup tool to verify if a caller’s identity matches the name given.
What are Cambria County Amazon and Apple Support Scams?
Con artists are now using the names of two prominent companies (Apple and Amazon) to rip Cambria County residents off. In one version of the scam, a scammer contacts a target with a call and a recorded message that says the caller is from Amazon or Apple. The message says there is something wrong with the target's Amazon account. It could be an order that has not been fulfilled, a lost package, or a suspicious purchase. In another variation of the scam, the scammer asks the target to press a button or number on the phone to speak with someone or provide a phone number for the target to contact.
Regardless of the trick used, the scammer aims to steal personal information such as Amazon and Apple account passwords or credit card information. Reverse phone number lookup applications can help identify scammers and prevent residents from falling victim to this type of scam.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are prerecorded messages sent to telephone users using predictive dialers or automatic dialing announcing devices. Although robocalls are largely viewed as annoying and intrusive phone calls, many are useful and do not even require your permission. Robocalls used by schools to contact parents, employees, and students do not require recipients' permission. Public bodies issuing public-service announcements and charities seeking donations are also exempted from obtaining your permission before contacting you with robocalls.
Following the increase in smartphone usage and advancements in technology, many scammers and illegitimate marketers now place thousands of calls to targets using robocalls in the hope that some will take the bait. This is contrary to the provisions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991 which requires robocall users to obtain the express permission of telephone subscribers before contacting them with robocalls.
These notorious robocalls are unwanted spam calls are a large portion of robocalls placed to Cambria County residents. They are designed to fleece unsuspecting residents. In 2020, over 1.6 billion robocalls were placed to Pennsylvania residents. Between January and April 2021, these residents received over 600 million robocalls, an average of 40.2 robocalls per person.
To limit the chances of being fleeced by robocalls placed by scammers, you may use reverse phone lookup tools to verify the identity of incoming calls. Other steps to take to stop robocalls include:
- Do not answer calls from unknown numbers. Let them go to voicemail.
- If you answer and the caller asks you to hit a button to stop receiving calls, just hang up. Scammers often use these tricks to identify and then target live respondents.
- Ask your phone service provider if it offers a robocall blocking service. Some phone service providers offer that service already in existing cell phone plans, while others offer the service for an additional fee.
- Install a free call-blocking application from any of the major mobile application stores. Examples include Hiya, Nomorobo, and Truecaller.
- Consider registering all of your telephone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry. Telemarketers are required to consult the registry before placing calls to telephone subscribers. If you still receive unsolicited calls 31 days after registering, they are likely to originate from scammers.
How to Spot and Report Cambria County Phone Scams?
Although scammers now add certain twists to common phone scams, the underlying cons remain largely the same. Still, the number of persons falling victim to phone scams continues to rise in Cambria County and the United States. Reverse lookup tools are available on the internet to help identify incoming scam calls. Likewise, educating yourself on the cons used by fraudsters will help reduce the odds of falling victim to phone scams.
Be aware of the following common scam tricks in order to avert falling victim to phone scams:
- The caller cannot communicate: If you answer a call and the caller can barely speak the English language, you may be on the call to a scammer. While legitimate businesses do use foreign call centers, employees working in those centers are vetted almost always have decent English proficiency.
- The caller uses pressure tactics to get you to act immediately: Scammers often use the threat of arrests and imprisonments or juicy offers to make you act immediately. Do not be pressured into deciding on the spot. Confirm any information provided from multiple sources before acting.
- The caller offers you an opportunity that seems too good to be true: These kinds of offers usually involve you paying upfront fees or signing up for a product or service before getting a largesse. Do not let scammers play on your greed.
- The caller asks for sensitive personal information: An unsolicited caller asking for personal information such as Social Security number, credit card information, and bank account details is likely to have ulterior motives. Do not give out private information to unsolicited callers.
- The caller claims to represent a reputable organization but wants to receive payment by MoneyGram, Western Union, or gift cards: Reputable agencies do not receive payments through these means. Regardless of caller ID information and who a caller claims to be, refrain from making payments into unverified accounts and through gift cards and reloadable cards.
You can file complaints with any of the following public bodies if you have been contacted by a scammer:
- The Cambria County Sheriff’s Department and local police departments: If you have received a call from a scammer, you can contact your local police department or the Cambria County Sheriff's Department at (814) 472-1692. In the county seat of Ebensburg, you can contact the Ebensburg Police Department at (814) 472-8930.
- The Pennsylvania County Attorney General's Office: If you have a complaint about an unsolicited call, contact the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) consumer protection line at (800) 441-2555 or file a complaint online.
- The Federal Trade Commission: Through the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry, phone users can reduce unwanted calls by adding their numbers to the list. If you receive unsolicited calls 31 days after adding your number to the registry, they are most likely scam calls
- The Federal Communications Commission: The FCC allows you to file a complaint with the Commission online if you believe you have received an illegal call, or if you think you are the victim of a phone scam.