What are Essex County Area Codes?
The introduction of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) led to the creation of Numbering Plan Areas (NPA), identified by numbering plan area codes. These area codes are at the beginning of 10-digit telephone numbers, and they tell the origin of any phone call. Area codes in New Jersey are under the supervision of the State of New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU), as delegated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Two area codes are currently in use in Essex County:
Area Code 973
Area code 973 emerged in 1997 as a split from the 201 NPA. It is a New Jersey telephone area code in the NANP that currently serves Essex and surrounding counties. Essex County locations in the 973 NPA include Newark, Irvington, Belleville, Millburn, East Orange, West Orange, Montclair, and Bloomfield.
Area code 862
Area code 862 is a New Jersey telephone overlay code in the NANP. It was created in 2001 as an overlay on the 973 NPA.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Essex County?
A 2018 NDHS survey revealed that about 38.1% of New Jersey adults resided in homes with wireless-only telephony service, while the national figure was 55.2%. The low penetration of wireless telephony services notwithstanding, New Jersey is blessed with excellent cell coverage. AT&T covers all of New Jersey and reports coverage of 100%. T-Mobile and Verizon also extend over most parts of the state, both covering about 98% of New Jersey. Sprint is not far behind, with a respectable coverage of 96%.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is another credible alternative to traditional landlines. VoIP routes phone calls using broadband internet connections. Subscribers with computer systems, smartphones, or landlines fitted with adapters can access VoIP services. VoIP offers much more flexibility and a host of diverse functions to users, and adoption, especially among businesses, is increasing.
What are Essex County Phone Scams?
Fraudsters use telephony services to get Essex County residents to part with money and personal information. The scammers use live calls, automated messages, and phishing text messages to contact their targets, and many end up as victims of phone scams. The Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) under the State of New Jersey Office of the Attorney General identified prevalent phone scams in the state. The widespread cons in the county include:
What are Grandparent Scams?
Elderly New Jersey residents are the usual targets of these scams. Scammers place phone calls to targets and convince them that they are their grandchildren or relatives. They claim to be in emergencies and need urgent financial assistance to resolve the situations. The New Jersey Consumer Affairs Division issued a warning to residents about these scams. If you receive this type of phone call, always confirm the relative’s actual status with other persons before responding to the requests. Victims of grandparent scams should use the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s online complaint assistant to lodge complaints.
What are Charity Scams?
Criminals leverage the occurrence of disasters and emergencies to set up phony charities and solicit funds. These scammers seek funds from residents without any intention of passing the donated funds to legitimate charity organizations. Before making donations to any charity, ask questions and check the registration status of the charity to confirm its authenticity. A good reverse phone lookup can return information alluding to the callers’ real identities and prevent these scams. Report incidences of charity scams to the Division of Consumer Affairs online or call (973) 504-6200.
What are Unemployment Scams?
Unemployed county residents are the targets of these scams. Criminals create and publicize phony job placements and attract unemployed residents to sign up. During the fake registration process, the victims are required to part with money and personal information. The New Jersey Consumer Affairs Division warns residents to conduct thorough research before responding to job placements and offers. A phone number search can verify the information provided by the employers and ascertain their legitimacy. Making a payment before a job offer is confirmed looks suspicious, and you should be wary of such a proposal. Report unemployment scams to the Consumer Affairs Division online or dial (973) 504-6200.
What are Government Stimulus Assistance Scams?
These scams occur during state-of-emergency when the government is offering assistance to citizens. Scammers contact residents, pretend to be government officials and seek personal information under the guise of requiring them to process stimulus payments. Information like Social Security Numbers and bank details are usually sought after by these fraudsters. Do not reveal personal data to any individual or government agency over an unsolicited phone call. Instead, initiate contact with the agency directly through verified phone numbers to confirm the claims’ authenticity. Residents can report government stimulus assistance scams to the Division of Consumer Affairs by sending an email.
What are Miracle Cures Scams?
Con artists put fake miracle drugs that can, according to them, cure any ailment up for sale. Untested vaccines and simple drugs with exaggerated potency are sold to victims who pay exorbitant fees to purchase these cures. Essex County residents should not buy drugs that have not been evaluated and approved by the Federal Drugs Administration (FDA). Health authorities remind residents that there is no miraculous cure-all for every ailment. Phone number lookups can prevent these scams by retrieving the scammers’ information. Report miracle cure scams to the FTC.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are unsolicited calls that deliver prerecorded messages received and sent using automated dialing machines. The recorded information gets relayed to the recipients once phone calls are answered. Telemarketers and other legitimate organizations use robocalls to pass information to current and potential clients. However, robocalls have been abused by legitimate users and manipulated by scammers to extort money and sensitive information from unsuspecting consumers.
Robocalls and spam calls have become a menace that governments at all levels are battling. Recently, the US Congress passed the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act to combat robocalls. The law recommends severe punishments for violators. Manufacturers of mobile phones fight spam calls by developing call filtering functions that detect suspected spam calls. Call blocking is also available to permanently stop calls from identified numbers. Network operators, on their part, also offer spam calls protection to subscribers. Essex County residents are to make necessary inquiries and use the call blocking service that suits them.
To reduce robocall abuse, take the following steps:
- Ignore calls from unknown numbers. Let it go through to voicemail and screen missed calls from the voicemail. Call those that left messages and delete suspected spam calls.
- Create a password for your voicemail. Having a password prevents criminals from hacking your voicemail if they spoof your number.
- End robocalls that you inadvertently answered.
- If you answer a robocall, do not press any button as instructed by the voice prompt. It will lead to more robocalls.
- Make inquiries from your network provider on the most suitable call filtering and call blocking service available to you.
- Download third-party call blocking free apps if not available from the network provider.
- Register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry. You can also dial 1 (888) 382-1222 from the number you want to place on the list, register it.
- Report to the FTC if registering on the National Do Not Call Registry does not stop robocall abuse.
How to Spot and Report Essex County Phone Scams?
The coercion and deception scammers use to extort money and personal information from victims all follow specific patterns. Essex County residents should take note of these tactics and avoid transactions that involve any of these:
- Prizes that come with the condition of redemption only after making payment are suspicious and are mostly scams.
- Phone calls that claim to be from the IRS and threaten arrests over unpaid taxes are scammers. The IRS does not reach out to tax defaulters over the phone.
- Investments that require urgent financing before it closes are highly dubious. Scammers give targets no time to carry out any due diligence so that the fraud will not be discovered.
- Transactions that only accept payments by gift cards or wire transfers are suspicious. Criminals prefer these means of payment because they are hard to recover.
- Be wary when government officials start seeking personal information through unsolicited phone calls.
Identifying the various forms of phone scams and educating citizens on how to avoid them is crucial. Government agencies at different levels release brochures and circulars on phone scams. Essex County residents get regular updates on scams from these agencies:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) promotes fair trade. The FTC provides guides on how to identify common phone scams and avoid robocalls to prevent phone scams. The National Do Not Call Registry that keeps away legitimate telemarketers from robocalling residents is under the FTC’s management. Victims of different phone scams have a complaint assistance form provided by the FTC to lodge complaints.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates the telecommunications industry. FCC’s resources on how to identify spoofing and activate call blocking help residents avoid scams. The FCC has mandated network operators to upgrade the caller authentication system that will help eradicate spoofing. Report phone spoofing and other scams to the FCC online.
The State of New Jersey’s Office of the Attorney General has a Division of Consumer Affairs that identifies prevalent scams. The Division also provides tips on how to avoid common phone scams. Report scam incidents to the division online or dial (800) 242-5846.Senior detectives in the Detective Division with the Essex County Sheriff’s Office are assigned to task forces that include state and federal law enforcement to investigate scams and other crimes. Report scam activities to the Sheriff’s Office online or via email. Victims can also report scams activities by dialing (973) 621-4111.