What are Spartanburg County Area Codes?
An area code is a set of three-digit numbers at the beginning of a North American phone number. It is used within the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) to identify a specific telephone service area known as a Numbering Plan Area (NPA). The South Carolina Public Service Commission oversees and regulates area codes in the state. Spartanburg County has only one active area code.
Area Code 864
The 864 NPA was split from area code 803 in 1995. It is the South Carolina telephone area code in the NANP for the state. It serves the City of Spartanburg and a host of neighboring communities in upstate South Carolina. Other Spartanburg County cities and towns within this area code include Inman, Cowpens, Landrum, Wellford, Glendale, Landrum, Woodruff, and Lyman.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Spartanburg County?
The four major phone carriers in the United States provide network services in Spartanburg County. AT&T provides the best network coverage and covers 99% of the county, while Verizon is a close second with 98.7% coverage. T-Mobile also offers stellar service at 96.3% coverage, and Sprint trails the rest with a 68.4% spread in the county.
According to data from a 2018 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, 55.7% of adults in South Carolina had only cell phones. In contrast, only 4.9% of adult South Carolinians used landline-only telephony services. These figures imply that South Carolinians depend more on wireless telephony services than landlines for their telecommunication needs.
The county-wide replacement of analog Centrex telephone systems with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone systems in 2019 is responsible for the surge in VoIP adoption in Spartanburg County. Residents and businesses have continued to migrate from traditional telephony services to VoIP telephony services because of its add-on features like conferencing and call forwarding. In addition to its convenience, VoIP enables residents to leverage their existing internet connections to make voice and video calls at relatively affordable rates.
What are Spartanburg County Phone Scams?
These are dishonest acts by scammers to trick Spartanburg County residents into disclosing personal information or sending money. These scams use telephone services such as robocalls, text messages, and phone calls to extort naive individuals. The following public agencies help Spartanburg County residents in combating the menace of phone scams:
- Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA)
Residents of Spartanburg County who are phone scams victims can file complaints with one or more of these bodies and seek possible redress. They can also patronize services offering free reverse phone lookups to help identify fraudsters and avoid phone scams. Common phone scams in Spartanburg County include:
What are Arrest Warrant Scams?
In these scams, Scammers inform their marks that they have outstanding arrest warrants. They call targeted residents out of the blue and identify themselves as deputies of the SCSO in an attempt to steal money or confidential information. These fraudsters convince their marks to hastily make payments with gift cards to get their arrest warrants canceled. Spartanburg County residents who suspect they are being targeted by scammers can use reverse phone search applications to determine the callers’ identities. Residents should always hang up if they suspect callers are fraudsters. They can call the official numbers of the Sheriff’s Office to verify callers’ identities and claims. The SCSO warns residents that none of its deputies will ever ask them to send money in exchange for canceling arrests.
What are Grandparent Scams?
These scams typically target Spartanburg County seniors and involve scammers who pretend to be their grandchildren in various emergencies. They may inform their marks that they urgently need money to post bail, hospital bills, or flight tickets to return home from foreign countries. In almost all cases, scammers plead for secrecy to prevent their scams from being foiled. Sometimes, they may use personal information and endearing names gleaned from social media sites to convince their marks of their legitimacy. Residents should always confirm if these callers are actual relatives by calling their known phone numbers because scammers can easily spoof caller ID information. They can also conduct free reverse phone lookups on callers’ phone numbers to retrieve information on their identities.
What are Water Utility Scams?
Fraudsters impersonate employees of Spartanburg Water and call residents about unpaid water bills. Using threats of service disconnection, they scare their marks into sharing confidential information like credit card numbers and bank account details. They may also coerce them into making immediate payments via unofficial methods such as gift cards or preloaded debit cards. Spartanburg Water cautions residents never to use such payment channels to pay outstanding bills. They also advise residents who are behind on their utility payments to call their customer service office at (864) 582-6375 to negotiate payment terms and avoid service interruption. Spartanburg County residents affected by these scams can file complaints with the FTC. Services that provide reverse phone number lookups free of charge can uncover the identities of these impersonators.
What are Debt Collection Scams?
Scammers often impersonate South Carolina State or Spartanburg County law enforcement agents to pitch these scams and increase their chances of success. They aim to gain their marks’ trust or scare them into compliance. The scammers will inform their targets of unpaid debts over the phone and intimidate them to coerce payments. In most instances, scammers offer to cancel the debts if their marks can immediately pay a part of such obligations. They will further pressure their targets by reiterating that the offers are limited-time opportunities and must make payments without delay. These scammers’ identities can be uncovered by running their phone numbers through phone number lookup search engines. Spartanburg County residents who experience these scam calls can file reports with the SCDCA. They can also verify debt claims against them by checking their credit reports. Free credit reports can be obtained from the three nationwide credit report companies. Spartanburg County residents can also order copies by calling 1 (877) 322-8228 toll-free.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
A robocall is an auto-dialed phone call that delivers a pre-recorded message using a robotic voice instead of a human voice. Robocalls can convey voice messages to mass phone numbers within a short interval of time and at minimal costs. Their low cost endears robocalls to scammers who value anonymity when executing their scam schemes. Fraudsters sometimes use spoofed robocalls to impersonate different government agencies and reputable businesses. Although scammers have abused robocalls, they still serve legitimate uses in charity drives, political campaigns, and other public sensitization programs. Spartanburg County residents can tell if incoming calls are robocalls by using reverse phone lookup tools.
The following tips can help county residents to reduce the influx of robocalls:
- Do not answer calls from unknown phone numbers to reduce the chances of answering robocalls.
- End all robocalls immediately if you mistakenly answer them. Do not press any button to engage with a live operator or get unlisted if prompted to do so. Fraudsters typically use robocalls to identify active phone numbers and overwhelm them with more robocalls.
- Join the National Do Not Call Registry by registering online or calling 1 (888) 382 1222 from the number you intend to enroll. The FTC set up the registry to prevent legitimate telemarketers from calling registered residents. If you still get robocalls after 31 days of registration, they are probably scam calls.
- Check for pre-installed call-blocking features on your phone and activate them to block unwanted automated calls. You can also download third-party call-blocking apps like Nomorobo and Hiya from phone stores online.
- Submit complaints of identified robocall numbers to the FTC by calling 1 (888) 382-1222
Spartanburg County residents can access call-blocking instructions online from the FTC’s website.
How Can You Spot and Report Spartanburg County Phone Scams?
Phone scammers constantly evolve newer fraudulent schemes and attempt to evade detection. Spartanburg County residents can spot phone scams by staying educated and vigilant. They can also stay ahead of scammer’s numerous plots by performing phone number lookups by name and address. You can easily identify Spartanburg County phone scams by watching out for the following signs:
- Scammers usually initiate contact and will often call repeatedly using spoofed numbers and fake identities to convince you that they are legitimate.
- Scammers make unsolicited requests for confidential information such as PINs, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and social security numbers. They often pose as employees of legitimate businesses and government agencies to ask for information that they ordinarily should have on file.
- Fraudsters are adept at using baits to entice their targets. They usually lure them with false promises of high investment returns, fantastic offers, large prizes, easy loans, or shopping sprees.
- Requests for advance payments are typical phone scam indicators. Scammers often convince their marks to part with money before rendering services to them.
Some public agencies help Spartanburg County residents in combating phone scams by providing consumer protection education and regular scam updates. These include:
Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office: The SCSO protects Spartanburg County residents by fighting crime and apprehending criminals. They also publish scam alerts and educate residents on identity theft. County residents who are victims of phone scams can call the Sheriff’s Office at (864) 596 2222 to file their reports.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): The FTC was established to keep consumers safe from fraudulent and anti-competitive business practices in the United States. They enforce federal consumer protection laws to address phone scams and prevent fraud. The FTC also maintains the National Do Not Call Registry and uses it to block telemarketing calls to registered phone users. Aggrieved consumers can file reports of phone scams with the FTC online.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC): The FCC regulates communications in the United States. They combat illegal robocalls and phone spoofing scams by implementing consumer protection policies and enforcing penalties for violations. The FCC also offers information on avoiding phone scams and illegal robocalls online on its website. Spartanburg County residents targeted by phone spoofing scams and unlawful robocalls can file complaints with the FCC.
South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA): The SCDCA is committed to protecting residents from dishonest and unfair businesses in the state. By creating and implementing consumer protection laws, they ensure that residents do not suffer losses from identity theft and phone scams. Victims of identity theft and phone scams can file online reports with the SCDCA or call 1 (800) 922-1594 toll-free to lodge complaints.