Aiken County Reverse Phone Lookup

What are Aiken County Area Codes?

The United States is divided into regions, known as area codes, that correspond with telephone dialing areas. An area code signifies the regional location of a phone number within the United States. Depending on the population, some states have only one area code, whereas others may have multiple area codes. As the need for more telephone numbers increased, it led to the creation of additional area codes. By adding new area codes, millions of new numbers become available for use in telephony services. You can find the area code of any geographical area in the United States by using an area code lookup tool online.

Two area codes currently serve Aiken County - Area codes 803 and 839.

Area Code 803

Area code 803 was officially put into service on January 1, 1947. It was split to form area code 864 in 1995 and again in 1998 to form area code 843. Area code 803 covers the majority of central South Carolina including the cities and communities of Aiken, Columbia, Rock Hill, and Sumter.

Area Code 839

Area code 839 was officially put into service as an all services overlay for area code 803. It was first used on May 20, 2020. Ten-digit dialing is required in the 803/839 overlay. Area code 839 covers the same areas as area code 803.

What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Aiken County?

Estimates from a 2018 survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics reveal that wireless telephony service usage in South Carolina far exceeds the adoption of landline telephony service. The survey shows that 55.7% of South Carolina residents aged 18 and above used wireless telephony service exclusively, while 4.9% used landline-only telephony service. Among residents below the age of 18, 67.2% used wireless-only telephony service, while only 1.9% used landline telephony service exclusively.

With such a rich array of options available for cellular phone plans in Aiken County, it takes little effort to find one that fits your budget and offers useful features. While features on these plans may appear juicy, the most important consideration should be the network coverage of the wireless provider in your area. In Aiken County, AT&T has the best overall coverage with a score of 99%, Verizon's coverage is rated 86%, T-Mobile's at 72%, while Sprint has a coverage score of 54%.

Smaller carriers also offer cell phone plans in Aiken County. Hence, residents are not restricted to cell phone plans from the major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). MVNOs operate through one or more of the MNOs' infrastructure, purchasing minutes and data in bulk for resale at retail prices to consumers. Since these smaller carriers use the infrastructure of the MNOs, coverage is typically good in places where the MNOs have good coverage.

VoIP plans are also available for users to choose from in making and receiving phone calls. VoIP services use the internet as the medium to transmit calls. As opposed to traditional landlines, VoIP uses your phone or computer to place calls through the internet. The call is converted to data packets and sent over the internet instead of through copper wires. VoIP phone plans are cheap and can help save telephony costs. VoIP service providers can offer cheaper plans because many of the installation and maintenance costs involved with landlines and cellular telephony are not required in VoIP telephony.

What are Aiken County Phone Scams?

Aiken County phone scams are fraudulent practices carried out by con artists through phone calls, text messages, and robocalls to con Aiken County residents. Phone scams are becoming more devious and difficult to detect. Scammers now use spoofing technology to hide their real phone numbers and caller ID information. Caller ID spoofing is the process of changing the Caller ID to any number other than the actual calling number.

Common scams in Aiken County include sheriff impersonation scams, sweepstakes scams, IRS scams, and missed call scams. Aiken County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.

What are Aiken County Sheriff Impersonation Scams?

Reports of scammers claiming to be Aiken County Sheriff's Office employees are rife in the county in recent times. Several residents have reported receiving calls from con artists attempting to swindle money from them. These con artists use the name of current Sheriff's Office employees and inform targets that they have warrants for their arrests for missing jury duties, failing to appear for court dates, or that they have won large cash rewards.

To resolve these matters, the con artists ask targets to send money through MoneyGram, Cash App, or Green Dot Cards. This ruse has reportedly claimed many victims who later realize that these are false claims. Note that the Aiken County Sheriff's Office does not collect money, credit cards, or payment for anything over the phone. Phone lookup applications can help uncover the true identities of scam callers.

What are Aiken County Lotteries or Sweepstakes Scams?

In a lottery or sweepstakes scam, you receive an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be a representative of a sweepstake or lottery company informing you that you have won a lot of money or a fantastic prize in a competition. Typically, the call is about a competition you do not remember entering. The prize you have won can be anything from an all-expense-paid trip to electronic equipment such as a smartphone or laptop, and even huge money.

To claim your prize, you will be asked to pay a fee supposedly for government taxes, bank fees or courier charges, or insurance costs. The fraudsters make money by continually collecting these fees from victims and stalling the payment of their "winnings." You can use a reverse cell phone lookup tool to verify if a caller’s identity matches the name given.

What are Aiken County IRS Scams?

The IRS scam in which fraudsters impersonate IRS officials to steal money or illegitimately obtain personally-identifying information has become widespread in Aiken County. While the IRS scam can be perpetrated at any time, it is more common during tax seasons. IRS scammers inform targets that they owe back taxes and threaten arrests if payments are not made immediately. They may spoof the caller ID information of the real IRS and use fake names and bogus IRS badge numbers to appear real to targets.

The Internal Revenue Service does not contact taxpayers through unsolicited calls. If you get an unsolicited call appearing to be from the IRS, it is a scam. Reverse phone number lookup applications can prevent residents from falling victim to IRS phone scams.

What are Aiken County Missed Call Scams?

Here, the fraudsters call targets' telephone lines but hang up as soon as it starts ringing. The calls may be made by automated dialers or real persons. These show up on the phones of the targets as missed calls. The fraudster in this scam aims to trick the target into calling back. Many people do in case it is urgent.

The numbers used by these criminals incur premium-rate charges that can be huge. Regardless of the area codes on the caller ID displays of the targets, sky-high rates apply. These rates can be charged just for connecting the call, regardless of how long you stay on the line. However, you may also hear recorded music or messages to keep you on the line for as long as possible so that the charges mount up. The con artist gets a share of the revenue generated by calls made to the number.

To verify that callers are who they say they are, you can use good reverse phone lookup tools online to quickly do a number lookup or reverse number lookup.

What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?

A robocall is a phone call that uses a computerized auto-dialing device to deliver a pre-recorded message. Robocalls are typically associated with telemarketing and political phone campaigns but are also used by government agencies in issuing public-service announcements. Typically, government agencies, charities seeking donations, and political campaigners do not need to obtain the permission of call recipients before contacting them with robocalls. However, per the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991, the majority of other telemarketers are required to obtain the express permission of recipients before contacting them with robocalls.

Unsolicited and spoofed robocalls are often used by scammers to contact people. These are spam calls sent out in large numbers to bait residents. Illegal and spam robocalls are the Federal Communications Commission's top consumer complaint nearly every year.

Reverse phone number lookup can help phone users identify robocalls and avoid falling victims to robocall scams. Aiken County residents can also take the following steps to limit the intrusion of robocalls:

• Do not answer, hang up: Do not answer calls from unknown numbers. Or if you do, hang up before engaging with the caller. By interacting with robocalls, it lets the potential scammers know the number is real and can be targeted. Also, do not press a button to indicate that you want to stop receiving calls. It is another trick used by scammers to keep targeting you.
• Use call-blocking services: Nearly all cell phone providers now offer security features that can detect fraudulent numbers and warn you about spam calls. Major providers offer these services for free and have additional premium security, which can be purchased for nominal fees. These services provide caller information and reverse lookup numbers.
• Use your phone settings: Both Apple and Android phones have settings that allow users to manually block phone numbers and label certain numbers as spam. You can use this call-blocking feature to stop receiving calls from scammers.
• Use a third-party call-blocking application: Third-party applications are useful in blocking unwanted calls. Many were designed through a program run by the Federal Trade Commission, although the applications do require access to your contacts list. Examples of these applications include Robokiller, Hiya, Truecaller, YouMail, and Nomorobo.
• Add your number to the National Do Not Call list: The National Do Not Call Registry is active and available for landlines and cell phones. Register your number online and report robocalls to the FTC.
• Set a new password for your voicemail: Crooked individuals can use spoofing technology to gain access to your voicemail and gather valuable information. The Federal Communications Commission advises that users change or reset passwords for their voicemail service to prevent hacks.
• Report robocalls to the FCC: Visit the FCC Consumer Complaint Center to file complaints related to robocalls. The FCC is authorized to take necessary action against persons who wrongly use robocalls. This can serve as a deterrent to criminals.

How to Spot and Report Aiken County Phone Scams?

Fraudsters often make scam calls using VoIP or cell phones to perpetrate their devious schemes. The schemes cost hundreds of Aiken County residents huge amounts in losses and a few, their entire savings. Scams may begin by employing cold calls out of the blue or text messages asking you to call a number or click a link. The perpetrators put in a lot of effort to appear real and legitimate to residents. However, you can identify phone scams by performing free phone number lookups.

Some other tricks used by scammers include:

• The caller says you have won a prize: Fraudsters often contact targets informing them of prizes won in lotteries or contests they did not enter for. Do not allow unknown callers to play on your emotions. Do not pay any upfront fee to claim a prize or winning from any lottery or sweepstake.
• The caller says you will be arrested: This is a classic scare tactic used by con artists to get targets to cooperate. You may also be threatened with fines, imprisonment, deportation, or license revocation. Do not give in to the threats. Simply hang up and block the number from reaching you.
• The caller says you have to send cash or pay with a gift card: Con artists prefer to receive payment by gift cards, reloadable cards, wire transfers, and cryptocurrencies. Such fund transfer methods make tracking the true identities of the receivers difficult. If an unsolicited caller insists on receiving payment through only one of these methods, be wary.
• The caller claims to represent a government agency and requires you to confirm sensitive information: An unknown caller requesting your private information such as bank account information, credit card numbers, Social Security number, and birth date is a big red flag. Do not divulge such information to unknown persons.

If you are fallen victim or have been contacted by a scammer, you can file complaints with any of the following public bodies:

• The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments: If you have received a call from a scammer, you can contact your local police department or the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 648-6811.
• The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office:  To report a scam, you can file a complaint online to the Attorney General’s Office or call the office’s line at (803) 734-3970.
• South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs: You can file a scam report online to the Department of Consumer Affairs or by calling 844-TELL-DCA or (844) 835-5322.
• Federal Communications Commission: If you receive unwanted robocalls and text messages, you can file a report online with the FCC.
• Federal Trade Commission - The FTC protects consumers from deceptive and fraudulent practices. You can file a phone scam report with the FTC by completing the online complaint form.
• The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA): Report IRS imposters to the TIGTA. To report by phone, call TIGTA at (800) 366-4484.