What are Burlington County Area Codes?
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) divided regional telephone service territories into numbering plan areas (NPAs) to simplify the process of making long-distance phone calls. Each NPA is identified by a string of three numeric digits called numbering plan area codes or area codes. In New Jersey, the Board of Public Utilities administers area codes. Three area codes currently cover Burlington County. These are:
Area Code 609
Area code 609 is the NANP telephone area code for central and southeastern parts of New Jersey and represents the state’s largest NPA. A split of the 201 NPA in 1958 created the 609 NPA. Burlington County locations under this NPA include Bordertown, Brown Mills, Burlington, Chesterfield, Columbus, Florence, Hainesport, Lumberton, Medford, Mount Holly, Pemberton, Roebling, and Wrightstown.
Area Code 640
Area code 640 is the NANP telephone overlay code for the 609 NPA. It was activated in 2018.
Area Code 856
Area code 856 was split from the 609 NPA in 1999 and covers southwestern New Jersey, including the western parts of Burlington County. Under this NPA, locations in Burlington County include Beverly, Maple Shade, Marlton, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, Palmyra, Riverside, Riverton, and Willingboro.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Burlington County?
A 2018 National Center for Health Statistics survey reported that 38.1% of adults in New Jersey resided in households that exclusively used wireless telephony services. The survey also reported that 41.5% of children in the state lived in wireless-only homes. In contrast, only about 4.9% of adults and 3.2% of children in the state resided in homes that exclusively relied on landlines for their telephony services. The report inferred that wireless telephony services had become the preferred means of telecommunication in Burlington County.
Like most of New Jersey, Burlington County has excellent wireless telephony service, though service coverage may be patchy in remote rural areas. All the major phone carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint) claim over 95% coverage in the state, and numerous MVNOs also provide cheaper alternatives services. Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are smaller operators that purchase bulk network services from the major carriers and resell to county residents.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provides telephony services that are more flexible, efficient, and affordable than landlines and wireless telephony services. VoIP delivers telephony services over broadband internet connections. VoIP telephony services are available to Burlington County residents from several service providers.
What are Burlington County Phone Scams?
These phone scams are dishonest schemes committed with live calls, robocalls, and text messages to steal money and sensitive information from county residents. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is responsible for investigating reports and assisting residents targeted by phone scams and other deceptive practices. Residents can file reports with the DCA by calling the consumer service hotline at (973) 504-6200. Victims of phone scams can also file reports with their local law enforcement agencies and the FTC. Popular phone scams in Burlington County include:
What are Law Enforcement Impersonation Scams?
In these scams, the callers impersonate law enforcement officers, typically deputies of the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department (BCSD). They spoof caller IDs to display phone numbers used by the BCSD. The callers tell their targets that warrants are out for their arrests for missing court appearances or unpaid tickets and that they will be arrested unless they pay fines to settle the warrants. The scammers ask for payment through prepaid debit cards or arrange to meet up and collect cash.
The BCSD warns residents that it (and any other law enforcement agency) will not contact them in such a manner. The BCSD will never solicit money over phone calls or require payments through prepaid debit cards. Residents who receive these calls should hang up and contact the BCSD on (609) 265-5504 to make inquiries and report these phone calls.
What are Social Security Scams?
Scammers pose as employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and contact county residents about issues with their social security numbers (SSNs). The callers claim that the residents were subjects of identity theft and their SSNs were involved in criminal activities and are compromised. They tell the targets that they are at risk of arrest and prosecution if they continue using their SSNs. The scammers then offer to get their victims new SSNs to secure their assets and prevent forfeiture for fees payable by prepaid cards and wire transfers. In variations of these scams, the callers request sensitive information from their targets for verification purposes and threaten to withhold their benefits for non-compliance. Giving in to the demands of the scammers will lead to financial and identity thefts.
The SSA advises Burlington County residents that new SSNs can only be obtained from the SSA in person and never over phone calls. Furthermore, the SSA does not make unsolicited calls to request sensitive information or money from county residents. If you receive such a phone call, end it and contact the SSA directly to verify the caller’s claims. Residents who are victims of these scams should file reports with the Office of the Inspector General at 1 (800) 269-0271 or online. Victims can also file reports with the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department or their local law enforcement agencies. Phone number lookups can help identify if such phone calls are from the Social Security Administration.
What are Utility Scams?
Scammers use robocalls and text messages to contact county residents and impersonate employees of utility companies. The messages, purportedly from these utility companies, inform the targets that their services will be cut off immediately over outstanding bills. The messages provide phone numbers for the victims to call back for more information. Persons who call these numbers are informed that their outstanding bills must be paid immediately to stop the disconnection. The scammers ask for payments through prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, or ask for the victims’ financial details.
Authorities urge residents to ignore these messages. Utility companies will never contact residents and threaten immediate service disconnections. They will always send defaulters mail notices about bills and disconnections before disconnecting services. If you have not received such notices or have paid your bills, ignore the messages and report them to your local law enforcement agency. Do not reveal your account information to unknown persons who contact you. Also, never purchase prepaid cards and provide the numbers over the phone.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are telemarketing tools that have long been used by sales companies and political campaigns to reach mass audiences. They are phone calls automated to deliver recorded messages to auto-dialed phone numbers. Fraudsters have adopted robocalls to use and steal money and sensitive information from unsuspecting residents. Robocalls afford scammers the ability to more persuasively impersonate reputable companies when contacting their targets, making it easier to pull off phone scams.
The best ways for dealing with illegal robocalls include:
- Hang up if you answer the phone and get an automated response. It’s a robocall. Disregard any instructions to connect to a live operator or unsubscribe from a list. Following the instructions just confirm your phone number as active and leads to a deluge of robocalls.
- Put your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry to reduce the number of spam calls you receive. Legitimate organizations will not contact phone numbers on this list. Therefore, any spam calls you still receive can be treated like potential scams.
- File complaints about illegal robocalls with the FTC. This can be done with the online complaint assistant or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Use call-blocking and call-filtering tools. These applications are available from phone manufacturers, network carriers, and third-party developers. There are free and paid versions of these applications. Choose the most appropriate one.
The FTC also provides instructions for blocking unwanted calls on any platform on its website.
How to Spot and Report Burlington County Phone Scams?
Phone scammers continuously evolve their tactics to create variations of old cons. Therefore, it is possible to spot the tell-tale signs of a scam and avoid it before any damage is done. Towards this end, education and awareness remain the best means of safeguarding your money and information. Also, there are online tools that perform suspicious phone number searches to answer questions like “who called me?” and “who is this number registered to?” Using these tools to conduct phone number lookups by name, number, and address can retrieve details about the identities of the individuals behind strange phone numbers.
Some indicators that an unknown caller is trying to scam you include:
- The caller claims to represent a reputable organization or government agency but actively solicits personal and financial information from you. Legitimate organizations such as government agencies will never request personal information on random phone calls.
- The caller is law enforcement and threatens you with arrest or some other punitive action to obtain your money and compliance. Real law enforcement will not use threats over phone calls to get you to comply.
- The caller wants to be paid through prepaid debit cards, retail gift cards, wire transfers, and such unconventional methods. Legitimate organizations do not insist on payment through such means, but scammers do. Funds sent through these means are hard to trace and retrieve.
- The caller makes a business or investment proposal that promises high yield and low risk and wants immediate response without allowing time to think about it. This is suspicious. Do not trust callers who offer financial opportunities but dissuade you from getting opinions from third parties.
- The caller says you won a prize in a competition you did not enter. They then tell you to make an advance payment before receiving the prize. This is a scam. You cannot win a prize in a competition you did not enter.
Residents of Burlington County can contact any of the following agencies for assistance in dealing with phone scams:
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) - The Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) of the DCA enforces the State Consumer Fraud Act and its regulations to protect residents from deceptive practices. Residents can contact the DCA for assistance at (973) 504-6200 or by email.
Local Law Enforcement Agencies - Local law enforcement agencies in Burlington County, such as the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department, receive reports from residents about phone scams. Residents can file reports with the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department at (609) 265-5504 or contact their local police departments.
Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office (BCPO) - The Financial Crimes Unit of the BCPO intakes, reviews, and screens economic crime complaints and investigations. Residents can contact the BCPO at (609) 265-5035 or by email. Alternatively, address a mail complaint to Courts Facility - 2nd Floor, 49 Rancocas Road, P.O. Box 6000, Mt. Holly, NJ 08060.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - The FTC is responsible for protecting residents against deceptive and fraudulent practices. The National Do Not Call Registry is an initiative to protect consumers from unwanted telephone solicitations. Phone numbers on this register that continue to receive illegal robocalls after 31 days are most likely targeted by phone scammers. Residents can file complaints about unlawful robocalls and fraudulent acts online or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222.