649 Area Code Scam Calls are on the Increase
A lot of online users have reported receiving scams from area code 649. These calls are likely part of what is commonly known as the "473 Scam," "Ring and Run Scam," or "One Ring Scam," and the numbers displayed on your caller ID or sent in a text message are likely premium numbers. You will be charged sometimes quite a bundle for any calls that you make, or text messages that you send to them.
Therefore, if have you missed a call from a 649 area code, whomever called can send you a text message (or leave a voicemail). If they did neither, and you don't know who called, don't worry about it. Also, remember that it's unlikely that someone you do not know who is in distress at a location with which you are not familiar would dial a random number in another country and ask you to help them--they would call the police.
The area codes are international numbers that still fall under the +1 country code. According to Inc.com, scammers want you to call or text back. Those call-back numbers are often premium numbers, similar to 1-900 numbers. Calling or texting back can lead to expensive charges on your next phone bill.
Here are the current international area codes within the +1 country code:
- 242 -- Bahamas
- 441 -- Bermuda
- 784 -- St. Vincent and Grenadines
- 246 -- Barbados
- 473 -- Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique
- 809, 829, and 849 -- Dominican Republic
- 264 -- Anguilla
- 649 -- Turks and Caicos
- 868 -- Trinidad and Tobago
- 268 -- Antigua
- 664 -- Montserrat
- 876 -- Jamaica
- 284 -- British Virgin Islands
- 721 -- Sint Maarten
- 758 -- St. Lucia
- 869 -- St. Kitts and Nevis
- 345 -- Cayman Islands
- 767 -- Dominica
- Here are the U.S. Territories' area codes:
- American Samoa -- 684
- Guam -- 671
- Northern Mariana Islands -- 670
- Puerto Rico -- 787 and 939
- U.S. Virgin Islands -- 340
- Here are the Canadian area codes (listed by province):
- Alberta -- 403, 587, and 780
- British Columbia -- 236, 250, 604, and 778
- Manitoba -- 204 and 431
- New Brunswick -- 506
- Newfoundland -- 709 (879 is being added in 2018)
- Northwest Territories -- 867
- Nova Scotia -- 902
- Nunavut -- 867
- Ontario -- 226, 249, 289, 343, 365, 416, 437, 519, 613, 647, 705, 807, and 905
- Quebec -- 418, 438, 450, 514, 579, 581, 819, and 873
- Saskatchewan -- 306 and 639
- Yukon -- 867
- Nationwide -- 600 (and possibly 622, 633, 644, 655, 677, and 688)
- U.S.-Canada Numbers to Beware:
- Area code -- 900
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.