What are Cumberland County Area Codes?
An area code is the first three digits at the start of any North American telephone number. Area codes were introduced as part of the North American Numbering Plan. These codes specify a location as a numbering plan area within a state. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission - Telecommunication Division regulates and maintains Cumberland County area codes.
There are currently two area codes that cover Cumberland County. These area codes serve the county and parts of other surrounding counties.
Area Code 717
Area code 717 covers most of Cumberland County and parts of 13 surrounding counties. It was officially put into service in January 1947, and initially served most parts of the Pennsylvania metropolitan area. However, in 1998, area code 717 was split to form area code 570. Area code 717 serves some cities in Cumberland County. These include Camp Hill, Carlisle, Shippensburg, Newburg, Newville, Lemoyne, and Mechanicsburg.
Area Code 223
Area code 223 was introduced as an overlay of 717 on September 26, 2017. It covers parts of Cumberland County and 10 other surrounding counties. The area code covers some cities in Cumberland, including Carlisle, Hershey, Lewistown, Lebanon, and Lancaster, among others.
Residents of Cumberland County may receive calls from people outside their county. In such instances, area code lookup services may come handy in identifying potential phone scams.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Cumberland County?
A 2018 National Center of Health Statistics survey estimated that 43.4% of Pennsylvania adults exclusively used wireless telephone services, while 4.3% exclusively used landlines as their preferred telephony services. A total of 17.7% of Pennsylvania adults used wireless telephone services as their first choice telephone service. By contrast, only 10.5% used landlines as their sole telephony service. In the State of Pennsylvania, a total of 21.1% of adults used both landlines and wireless telephone services.
The difference is more evident among minors (under 18s), as 52.5% exclusively used wirelessly services, while only 2.4% used landlines. A total of 14.5% of Pennsylvania minors used both landlines and wireless telephone services. These figures infer that landlines are more common with the adult population than minors.
Cumberland County enjoys excellent coverage from the four primary phone carriers- AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. The State also has several Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) complementing the major phone carriers. In terms of coverage by network, Verizon ranks first with 98% coverage. AT&T follows closely with 80% coverage, while T-Mobile and Sprint offer the least coverage by network in Pennsylvania with 62% coverage. The service quality in Cumberland County is considerably high, except in rural areas, and in certain areas with a high population density.
In Cumberland County, several companies offer VoIP services for both business and residential use. However, the prevalence of VoIP has resulted in a variety of products and highly competitive prices. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission maintains jurisdiction over all intrastate communication including VoIP.
What are Cumberland County Phone Scams?
These are scams committed by individuals who use telecommunication products or services to steal money or information from targeted residents in Cumberland County. Reverse phone number lookup services are effective in identifying such scammers. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office and other public agencies in the state assist residents of the county in addressing the menace of phone scams. Residents who have been victims of scams can contact the Sheriff's Office to file complaints. Common scams committed in Cumberland County include:
What are Pay Up Front Scams?
In these scams, scammers pose as representatives of legitimate companies. They use persuasive presentations to convince victims to pay large upfront fees for bogus loans, loan modifications, or credit cards. They tell victims to pay high but seemingly legitimate fees to take advantage of the offers. The scammers claim that these fees are for the application, services, or insurance.
Scammers target individuals with poor history as they are more vulnerable. Residents of Cumberland County encounter these scams in various ways, including telemarketing calls, text messages, emails, etc. Residents can run quick background checks on the phone numbers that called them. Reverse phone lookup tools provide relevant information about the callers. Residents must avoid any credit offer that requires upfront payment. Victims may contact the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities to report such scams.
What are IRS Scams?
In typical IRS scams, victims receive phone calls or emails from unknown persons claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service. The callers often claim that the victims owe money for unpaid or back taxes, or that the victims missed paperwork deadlines. It is common for scammers to threaten their victims with arrest or lawsuit if they do not pay them. To resolve the issues, scammers will often request that victims wire money, or purchase prepaid debit cards. In some cases, scammers ask victims to send them money in ways that cannot be traced, such as via gift cards, bitcoins, and wire transfers. Note that no U.S. public agency will ever call you out of the blue to demand money or personal information. Residents can perform reverse phone number searches to find out who called them.
What are Charity Scams?
These types of scams occur at all times but they are very common after a major disaster or tragedy. There are so many charity organizations in Pennsylvania and scammers are aware of this. A charity scam begins when you receive a call or mail from someone soliciting money for a good cause or on behalf of some less privileged persons. The caller uses persuasive speech to trick their victims into sympathizing with the situation. After the victims pay, the scammers use the money received to satisfy their personal needs. Charity scams may also facilitate identity theft by directing victims to bogus websites where they provide personal and financial information along with their donations. You can contact the Pennsylvania Department of State to conduct a business search to ascertain whether the organization asking them for money is registered. A reverse phone lookup is helpful in identifying the origin of the call.
What are Credit Repair Scams?
In these scams, scammers impersonate legitimate companies and promise to repair or erase your credit history for an upfront fee. Scammers may dispute all the negative information in their targets' credit reports knowing that it will take time before the credit bureaus review the disputes. Scammers make their victims believe that their credit report has been improved as a service for the payment they made. However, once the dispute is reviewed, the victim realizes that their credit report has not changed.
Scammers may advise the victim to apply for a new Employee Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, and use the number, which has the same 10 digits as their social security number, to apply for credit. This is otherwise known as file segregation. Residents should disregard such advice as this activity is considered a felony in the U.S. Reverse phone number lookup can help identify whether the call is from a legitimate business or not.
What are Romance Scams?
In these scams, the scammer builds a strong relationship with the victim to earn their trust. Scammers make themselves attractive to you and begin to text, email, or call regularly. Once they realize that you trust them, scammers request your personal information or ask you for money. Conducting a phone number lookup can prevent you from falling for their schemes. Scammers often ask victims to send money through western union, MoneyGram, or by loading up a prepaid credit card. In romance scams, scammers continue to stay in touch with the victim as long as they keep sending money. Residents should avoid giving personal details to persons they meet online until they have verified them through phone number searches.
What are Microsoft Scams?
In these scams, victims get unexpected calls or emails from people claiming to work for Microsoft or other tech companies. Scammers claim that the victims’ computers are infected with viruses and malware and would offer to fix the problem. The victims are then asked to pay services fees by providing their credit or debit card information. At times, the scammers may request access to the victims’ computers. If they successfully gain access to the computers, the scammers typically download viruses on the computers. In some cases, the scammers may download ransomware onto the computers to ensure victims do not have access to files anymore. Residents can prevent this by installing current and effective antivirus software. Reverse phone number lookups can stop scammers from completing their con game. Conduct a reverse phone number search by address to identify the origin of calls.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated phone calls that deliver prerecorded messages to large audiences. They are used by telemarketers, politicians, non-profit organizations, and in public sectors like the healthcare departments. Due to the anonymity robocalls provide, they have become an instrument for defrauding unsuspecting citizens. Scammers use robocalls to impersonate legitimate business and play their con games. Robocall scams aim to retrieve personal information that can aid financial or identity theft. Reverse phone lookup services can confirm if an incoming call is a robocall.
The best options, if you receive a robocall are to:
- Hang up. Failure to do so exposes you to more automated messages.
- Use online services that offer phone number searches free of charge to identify robocalls. Block these phone numbers immediately.
- Register your phone number on Pennsylvania Do Not Call Registry.
- Report illegal robocalls to the FTC online or call 1-888-382-1222.
- Enroll your number in the National Do Not Call Registry. Inclusion in this registry exempts you from receiving unsolicited robocalls and other sales calls from telemarketers. Although this will not stop all unwanted calls, it makes it easier to identify illegal robocalls.
How to Spot and Report Cumberland County Phone Scams?
Scammers are always improving new means to defraud uninformed individuals. The best ways to deal with scams are through education and vigilance. Reverse phone number lookup services are effective in identifying potential phone scams. Signs that a phone call is a scam include:
- Caller claims you won a prize, especially if you do not remember entering a contest.
- Credit offers that require upfront payment or investments that are tagged risk-free. Every investment involves certain levels of risk.
- The use of aggressive tactics such as threats of arrests, suspension, withdrawal of benefits, or revocation of license by a caller.
- Strangers soliciting for personal information
- Solicitations from unknown organizations
Services that conduct reverse phone number lookups by address, name, and phone number are helpful against phone scams. Public institutions in Cumberland County assist in combating the menace of phone scammers in the county. These institutions provide information and assistance to residents. These are:
Cumberland County Sheriff's Office - The Office protects residents of Cumberland County from fraudulent persons and businesses. The Office maintains a consumer fraud hotline, (717) 240-6192, that handles public complaints and reports. The Sheriff Department provides phone number lookup service for victims.
Cumberland County District Attorney Criminal Investigation Division - The division provides information on prevalent scams in the county. Residents can file complaints to the office. The District Attorney's Office helps with phone number searches to identify scammers.
Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities - The Department provides information on phone scams in the State of Pennsylvania. Residents of Cumberland County may contact the department by calling 1.800.722.2657. The Department provides tips on how to avoid phone scams. Reverse phone number services are available during visits by victims.
Better Business Bureau - The Better Business Bureau provides information on legitimate business entities registered in Cumberland County. The BBB also provides information about scams prevalent in the County. Residents may conduct phone number searches for suspicious businesses on the website.
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC protects consumers from unauthorized and fraudulent practices. The FTC initiated the National Do Not Call Registry as part of its efforts to stop unwanted calls.