ALBANY, NY (WTEN) – If you receive a phone call from the following area codes, don’t answer or return the call because it may be a scam.
According to Inc., scammers may try to call an unsuspecting victim numerous times, several times in succession or hang up before anyone answers hoping to arise curiosity and suspicion.
Other variations include playing a recording of someone calling for help or needing medical attention. Inc. says scammers may also use similar tactics through text messages.
The area codes are international numbers that still fall under the +1 country code, meaning they look like US phone numbers to the unsuspecting victim. The 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 (listed by territory):
- 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