What are Fayette County Area Codes?
Area codes were designated by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and specify the Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in North American telephone territories. They are represented by the three-digit numbers at the beginning of American phone numbers and identify the origins of phone calls. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) administers Pennsylvania area codes and manages telecommunication infrastructures in Fayette County. Four area codes are currently active in Fayette County. These are:
Area Code 412
Area code 412 is a Pennsylvania area code created in 1974 as one of the 86 original NPAs. It serves various counties in Pennsylvania, including Fayette County. The major cities and towns in Fayette County within area code 412 include Uniontown, Hopwood, and Lemont Furnace.
Area Code 814
Area code 814 was put into service in 1974 as one of the original 86 NPAs for Pennsylvania. It serves several counties in northwestern and central Pennsylvania. Melcroft is one of the major towns in Fayette County within the 814 NPA.
Area Code 724
Area code 724 was created in a split of the 412 NPA in 1998. It serves counties in southern and western Pennsylvania, including Fayette County. Cities and towns in Fayette County within the 724 NPA include Uniontown, Belle Vernon, Connellsville, Masontown, Adah, Allison, Fayette City, Hopwood, New Salem, Indian Head, Perryopolis, Point Marion, Smithfield, Smock, La Belle, Mc Clellandtown, Farmington, Fairchance, East Millsboro, Dawson, and Brownsville.
Area Code 878
Area code 878 was put into service in 1998 as an overlay code to the 412 and 724 NPAs. It covers the same cities and towns as area codes 412 and 724.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Fayette County?
The major cell phone carriers in America, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon, offer network services in Fayette County, although with different levels of coverage. In the City of Uniontown, Verizon provides excellent services at 100% spread. AT&T comes next with a 91% coverage, while T-Mobile trails closely at 89%, and Sprint covers only 61% of the city. Some Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Fayette County also provide residents with affordable plans and commendable services.
As reported by a 2018 National Center for Health Statistics Survey, an estimated 43.4% of Pennsylvania adults used wireless phones strictly for telecommunication. Conversely, only 4.3% still relied solely on landlines. A similar trend was observed among children below 18 years as the majority (52.5%) were exclusive cell phone users. Only about 2.3% of the children demographic still used landlines alone for telephony purposes. This data is indicative of the significant shift in Fayette County residents' telephony preference to wireless services.
Fayette County residents also Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology for telephony. VoIP uses IP networks like broadband internet connections to transmit real-time voice, video signals, and text messages between phone users. It offers an excellent user experience and better flexibility when compared to regular telephone services. An increasing number of county residents are adopting VoIP for personal and business purposes.
What are Fayette County Phone Scams?
Phone scams are unlawful acts carried out over the phone that aim to trick Fayette County residents into sending money or revealing confidential information. These scams are conducted through telephony services like text messages, live calls, and robocalls and are usually modified to suit specific targets in focus. Fayette County residents receiving suspicious phone calls can run the callers’ phone numbers through phone number search tools to retrieve their identifying information. Typically, fraudsters assume the status of reputable entities such as familiar businesses or government agencies when launching attacks on unsuspecting targets. Residents are often willing to answer such calls and fully cooperate with the callers, thereby exposing themselves to fraud. Several public agencies educate Fayette County residents on prevalent phone scams. They include:
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office
- Pennsylvania Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Fayette County Sheriff's Office
Some common scams reported in Fayette County are:
What are Fayette County IRS Scams?
Fraudsters claiming to be Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents contact Fayette County residents to inform them that they owe taxes. The scammers are usually aggressive and employ scare tactics to elicit responses from their targets. They often threaten to arrest their targets, charge them to court, or revoke their licenses if they do not make immediate payments. Alternatively, they may ask the unsuspecting marks to provide their personal information to enable them to verify the supposed amounts owed to the IRS. Unfortunately, naive county residents succumb to these con artists out of fear. In another variation of this scam, the imposters seem friendly and inform their marks about qualifying for tax rebates from the government. They, however, ask for some personal data, including bank account details to allegedly process the funds and make them available in the victims’ bank accounts. Regardless of their approach, the scammers' goal is to steal money or information for identity fraud.
The IRS will never demand payments or confidential data from residents in unsolicited calls or threaten arrests over the phone. If unsure about your tax status, call the IRS at 1 (800) 829-1040 to determine if you have a backlog of unpaid taxes. Residents should never indulge callers who request personal information, no matter how genuine they appear. If you get such a call, you can figure out who called using free reverse phone lookup tools. You can also file reports about IRS phone scams with the Treasury Inspector General of Tax Administration (TIGTA) online or by calling 1 (800) 366-4484.
What are Fayette County Medicare Impersonator Scams?
Medicare beneficiaries in Fayette County receive unsolicited calls from scammers posing as Medicare employees. The fraudsters may allege that their targets' medicare cards have expired and insist that they obtain replacement cards. They then ask for their marks' medicare number and other personal and financial for supposed processing of new cards. However, their goal is to collect such information and steal their victims' money and medicare identities for fraudulent benefit claims. In another modification of this scam, scammers claim that their marks made medical equipment claims in the past. They collect personal information to process the requests but end up stealing from their targets.
Medicare does not call beneficiaries to ask for their personal information unless they initiate the call. Also, they will not solicit money from anyone over the phone. Fayette County residents who get such calls should hang up immediately and call Medicare directly on their official phone numbers to verify the callers' claims. These scammers are fond of spoofing their targets’ Caller IDs, but with good reverse phone lookup services, you can identify them and Medicare scams.
What are Fayette County Utility Scams?
In these scams, fraudsters call Fayette County residents to threaten the disconnection of utility supplies if they do not make immediate payments. Scammers pose as employees of their targets' utility companies and claim to be recovering unpaid bills. They are usually hostile and demand prompt fees through specific channels like prepaid debit cards or wire transfers. Sometimes, they sound polite and inform their targets about bill overpayments they made. They collect targets' personal and banking details to facilitate refunds. Scammers may also call in the aftermath of natural disasters like storms that cause extended power blackouts. They leverage residents' desperation in those times to exploit them by asking for upfront payments of power reconnection fees. Scammers may also glean personal information from targets during the phone calls, claiming its standard procedure for power reconnection. Contrary to their claims, they collect such information for use in identity theft.
Typically, legitimate utility companies send disconnection notices in the mail. They do not threaten to shut off their consumers' utility supplies over the phone or demand urgent payments. Residents should avoid making payments or revealing confidential information to unverified callers even if the calls appear genuine. To retrieve information about individuals behind suspicious calls, you can run their phone numbers through services that offer reverse phone lookup free services and avoid a rip-off.
What are Fayette County Employment Scams?
Scammers exploit Fayette County residents who are seeking employment by guaranteeing them job offers for a fee. Usually, they place unsolicited calls to their targets and inform them about new employment opportunities. Most times, they are easy work-from-home jobs with attractive rewards. However, the marks will have to send money to purchase some items or enroll in training required for their work. For example, fraudsters may demand money for software and equipment for remote medical billing jobs. They convince their marks that legitimate clinics are outsourcing their billings, and employees who acquire the tools and complete the jobs get paid monthly. Naive residents make such payments, but the scammers send them fake software and lists of non-existent clients. The targets never get the jobs promised or get paid, and they end up losing their money. Usually, victims are unable to recover their money because scammers opt for payment methods such as money wires which are untraceable. Also, Fayette County residents who disclose personal information to these scammers often become financial and identity fraud victims.
Residents should thoroughly research employment opportunities to confirm if such a company exists. Scammers can use the names of reputable organizations and disguise their caller IDs to appear genuine. Therefore, county residents should contact recruiting firms directly on their official phone numbers if contacted with employment offers. They can also run suspicious phone number lookups on the callers’ numbers to uncover their identities. Legitimate companies do not solicit funds from potential employees. Instead, they fund the provision of equipment needed to get the job done.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automatic calls that disseminate recorded messages to selected phone numbers in bulk. They are a convenient means of mass communication because they require minimal human input and produce significant outcomes. Robocalls are used legitimately by the government, telemarketers, and political campaign organizations. However, fraudsters also use robocalls to execute their crimes. They manipulate their caller IDs in the process to sound credible and fool unsuspecting residents into giving in to their demands. Nevertheless, county residents who subscribe to reverse phone number lookup services can identify robocalls targeted at them. Scammers frequently use robocalls to distribute spam calls. Spam calls are unwanted calls that relay irrelevant messages in bulk to phone numbers whose users indicated no prior interest in receiving them. Some ways to protect yourself from illegal robocalls and prevent scams include:
- Register your phone number on Pennsylvania Do Not Call List by calling 1 (888) 777-3406 or enrolling online to be exempt from unwanted sales calls.
- Report spam phone numbers and illegal robocalls to the FTC online.
- Hang up on calls once you identify them as robocalls and disregard their prompts to avoid registering for more spam and robocalls.
- Enroll your phone number in the National Do Not Call Registry to cut down on unsolicited robocalls. Enlisting in the DNC registry will help you identify any persisting robocall as a potential scam.
- Subscribe to good reverse phone lookup applications capable of retrieving information on spoofed robocalls and block such phone numbers. The FTC allows consumers access to educational resources on how to bar unwanted robocalls.
How Can You Spot and Report Fayette County Phone Scams?
Familiarizing yourself with information on scammers' tricks is the best way to spot Fayette County phone scams and avoid them. Usually, scammers apply various ploys and modify them to suit the targets in focus. They accomplish their aim by hiding their actual phone numbers and making their caller IDs to display the names of familiar organizations. Residents can use reverse phone lookup services to recognize scam calls and steer clear of them. The FTC's website is replete with consumer information on how to spot and prevent various phone scams. Also, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office educates residents on different phone scams. Some signs of imminent phone scams in Fayette County include:
- The caller claims to be with a reputable organization and offers you a job but insists you make an upfront payment for working tools. Legitimate organizations do not operate in this manner.
- The caller coerces you to provide personal or financial information and threatens you if you refuse their demands.
- The caller evades your questions about their proposals but demands that you immediately make financial commitments.
- The caller dictates the precise method for you to make payments. Scammers usually avoid check payments and opt for transactions through wire transfers, gift cards, and cryptocurrencies.
Fayette County residents who are victims of phone scams can report them to any of the following public agencies.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC): The FTC established and runs the Do Not Call Registry, which helps consumers reduce unwanted robocall disturbances. Fayette County residents who fall for phone scammers' tricks can file online complaints with the FTC about the incidents.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Fayette County residents who are victims of phone scams can report to the FCC by filing online complaints.
- Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office: Fayette County residents can sign up for Consumer Alerts to get text updates about prevalent scams. Residents who are phone scam victims can file Consumer Complaints with the AGO. They can also report the incidents by calling the Bureau of Consumer Protection helpline (toll-free) at (800) 441-2555 or sending an email.
The AGO also manages Pennsylvania Do Not Call List. Residents who wish to reduce unwanted robocall inundations can enlist their phone numbers online or call 1 (888) 777-3406. You can also enroll your phone number via mail by sending your name, phone number, signature, and mailing address to:
Office of Attorney General
Bureau of Consumer Protection
Do Not Call List
Strawberry Square, 15th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17120.
- Pennsylvania Better Business Bureau (BBB): Fayette County residents who are duped by businesses over the phone can file reports with the BBB by calling 1 (412) 456-2700.
- Fayette County Sheriff's Office: Fayette County residents who are victims of phone scams can report to the FCSO by calling (770) 461-6353. Residents can also file in-person complaints by visiting the FCSO at 155 Johnson Avenue, Fayetteville, GA 30214.