What are Gloucester County Area Codes?
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) introduced area codes to enable telephone users to determine the geographical area of incoming or outgoing calls. Also known as the NPA (Numbering Plan Area) codes, area codes are the first three digits appearing at the beginning of telephone numbers. The Division of Telecommunications under the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is responsible for administering new area codes in Gloucester County.
Here are two area codes in Gloucester County.
Area code 609
Area code 609 was created in 1999 from a geographical split of area code 201. Based on geographical coverage, area code 609 is the largest in New Jersey. It serves Gloucester County communities such as Deptford Township and Harrison Township.
Area code 856
Area code 856 is a New Jersey telephone area code introduced by Bell Atlantic in 1999. The area code, which serves most areas in Gloucester County, is a derivative of area code 609. Major cities in Gloucester County covered by area code 856 include Woodbury City (county seat), Glassboro, Washington Township, and Franklin Township.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Gloucester County?
The major network providers in Gloucester County are AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile. These phone carriers provide internet services, landline services, cell phone services, and VoIP services. Generally, each phone carrier offers quality network service. Nevertheless, factors like landscape presence and weather fluctuations often affect the quality of service in an area. Apart from the four major networks, county residents can use the Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) services. These alternative phone carriers use the wireless network infrastructures of the four major national carriers. In Gloucester County, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon offer great network coverage. T-Mobile has the best coverage with 94%, compared to the other phone carriers. AT&T ranks second with 92% coverage, followed by Verizon with 90% coverage and then Sprint, having the least coverage with 66%.
Over the years, the number of cell phone users in New Jersey have surpassed landline users, due to the advancement of technology worldwide. This can be seen in a survey on wireless substitution published by the National Center of Health Statistics in 2018. According to the survey, 35.6% of New Jersey adults used only cell phones, while 5.2% used only landlines. The reports also revealed that 37.5% of the minors (persons under 18) in New Jersey solely used cell phones, while 2.8% only used landlines.
Apart from cell phones and landlines, phone users in Gloucester County can also use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services to make calls. VoIP services are flexible and affordable. These services allow phone users to make calls provided they have good internet connections. County residents are adopting VoIP services due to its cost-effective international and local calls. Some innovative features provided by VoIP services include advanced call routings, conferencing, centralized administrative portals, etc.
What are Gloucester County Phone Scams?
Gloucester County phone scams are carried out by fraudsters seeking to steal the personal and financial details of phone users in the county. Con artists involved in phone scams may impersonate business entities or governmental agencies to make false or bogus claims. This popular scam technique known as voice phishing is used by scammers to obtain individuals' social security numbers, drivers licences, credit card details, and passwords. To avoid being victims of phone scams, county residents should hang up suspicious calls and contact only approved governmental agencies in Gloucester County or New Jersey.
Alternatively, individuals may file phone scam complaints through the website of the Gloucester County Sheriff Department or the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. Sometimes, fraudsters use spoofing techniques to disguise the true origins of calls. However, individuals can detect the sources of fraudulent calls by using area code lookups and reverse phone lookups tools. Scam victims can also conduct independent research on fake telemarketers by checking their firms on the Better Business Bureau website before making transactions with them. Persons that suspect that they have been targeted by phone scammers may lodge complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. The following are some of the most popular scam phone calls in Gloucester County.
What are COVID-19 Scams?
COVID-19 scams may be carried out by fraudsters claiming to provide medicare kits or vaccines in exchange for social security numbers or banking details. Other fraudsters involved in these scams may pretend to be government agencies offering COVID-19 benefits or pandemic relief payments. Some con artists promise huge business loans or send notifications that checks are ready for collection; these are all tactics to deceive individuals. Like many other scams, COVID-19 scams are perpetrated to obtain vital information which will be used for identity theft.
Individuals can protect themselves from these scams by following instructions provided by the New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Task Force. County residents are advised to verify the identity of organizations or individuals making the COVID-19 claims. This can be done using reverse cell phone lookup apps that allow individuals to carry out phone number searches for free. It is also essential to ignore messages asking for payment of COVID-19 vaccines or cures. Note that most scammers demand payment via cryptocurrency wallets, gift cards, and wire transfers. Rather than make any transactions or share information with strange persons, contact the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs to report the scam or call (973) 504-6240. Alternatively, individuals can report cases to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by filing online complaints or call (866) 720-5721.
What are Dating Scams?
Dating or Romance scams are also common in Gloucester County. Fraudsters use dating websites and apps to seek innocent citizens looking for relationships. To validate their claims, dating scammers also create fake profiles on popular social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Hangout. After gaining the trust of the love-seekers, con artists begin to request payments for different false claims. The con artists may also ask for the victims' personal information, which will be used for identity frauds.
Residents can avoid dating scams by using only legitimate dating sites. However, it is almost impossible to find a dating site without fraudsters. Therefore, do not reveal personal or banking details to anyone. In the course of dating strangers online, it is advisable not to believe stories without communicating with friends and families blindly. Romance fraudsters target both old and young citizens. Most victims refuse to report cases due to shame and embarrassment. However, victims are advised to disregard such feelings and file complaints with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
What are Family Emergency Scams?
In Family Emergency scams, con artists, claiming to be related to their targets, create fake emergencies to defraud their victims. Also known as Grandparent scams, these scams target unsuspecting senior citizens in Gloucester County. Most con artists involved in family emergency scams may have gotten background details of their targets through social networking sites. While impersonating far-away relatives, these scammers play on aged citizens' emotions with stories of being arrested, hurt, or in jail. Sometimes another scammer acting like a lawyer or law enforcement officer may be involved to make their claims seem legitimate. One easy way to detect family emergency scams is when fraudsters request secrecy or insist on immediate money transfers.
Do not act immediately. Ignore any urgent demands and verify the emergency first. Contact other family members to confirm who called. Victims of family emergency scams can talk with their relatives about such scams]. It is also important to report the case to the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs or call (973) 504-6200. Victims of these kinds of imposter frauds can report scams to the FTC to avoid the spread.
What are New Jersey Lottery Scams?
In New Jersey lottery scams, dishonest persons pose as lottery officials or recent winners of big jackpot games. The imposters may offer big prizes or rewards to individuals in exchange for personal information or request payments for processing their winnings. These are false claims because the New Jersey lottery does not request private information before paying its winners. County residents can verify any state lottery claim by calling the state's lottery security office at (609) 599-6100.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are programmed phone calls that deliver pre-recorded messages to phone users. Telemarketers, politicians, health care providers, and other education organizations use robocalls to reach many phone users at once. Unlike robocalls, spam calls contain irrelevant and repeated messages. As such, spam calls are always illegal. Being an innovative technology that provides caller anonymity, scam callers often use robocalls to defraud individuals. As a result, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in 1991 to regulate the use of robocalls. According to the Act, telemarketers can only send robocalls if the phone users give their approval. However, politicians and other organizations providing vital or educational information are exempted from the rule.
Illegal robocalls and spam calls may be difficult to detect due to spoofing techniques used by fraudsters. These innovations are used to mask the true identities of the scam callers. In such instances, individuals can avoid being scammed by using good reverse phone lookup databases to identify callers. Below are other precautions to take to avoid falling victim to spam calls and illegal robocalls.
- Terminate any call requesting personal or financial details
- Do not follow the voice instructions provided by robocalls
- Install free reverse phone number lookup applications to know the true origins of calls
- Include phone numbers in the National Do Not Call registry to stop telemarketers from sending robocalls
- Report spam calls and illegal robocalls by filing complaints with the FTC or call 1-888-382-1222
- Find out other innovative ways of blocking unwanted calls on the webpage of the FTC.
How to Spot and Report Gloucester County Phone Scams?
Gloucester County phone scams have become sophisticated and difficult to recognize. Scammers use different innovative tools to deceive innocent phone users. You can avoid falling victim by understanding how phone scams work and the tools needed to identify scam calls. Begin by using a free reverse phone lookup service to find out who a phone number is registered to. This tool provides details of a scam call after conducting a free phone number search by name or address. Also, be mindful of some common red flags when speaking with scam artists over the phone. You can detect a possible phone scam if the fraudster:
- Requests for urgent responses to false claims
- Requests for sensitive information like social security numbers or credit card details
- Makes unnecessary threats to arrest you
- Promises huge rewards and benefits
- Requests for payments into a Bitcoin wallet or gift card
Once you discover any of these red flags, end the call and report the case to relevant government agencies in Gloucester County such as:
Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office: The Major Crimes Unit of the Prosecutor Office conducts interviews for fraud and identity theft victims. Individuals who may have given out their banking or personal details can send an email to the Major Crimes Unit or call (856) 307-7180.
Gloucester County Sheriff’s Office: As the county's highest-ranking elected law enforcer, the Sheriff’s Office is open to individuals who want to report cases of phone scams and other fraudulent activities. The office is located at:
2 S Broad Street
Woodbury, NJ 08096
Phone: (856) 384-4600
New Jersey Attorney General: Through the Attorney General’s office, county residents can file complaints for any fraud.
New Jersey Office of Consumer Protection (NJOCP): Operating under the Division of Consumer Affairs, this department responds to identity theft and cyber fraud complaints. File an online complaint or download the OCP complaint form. Completed forms should be sent via mail to:
Office of Consumer Protection
PO Box 45025
Newark, New Jersey 07101
Phone: (973) 504-6200
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): The FTC provides residents with the National Do Not Call Registry. Any other robocall received after registering a number is a potential scam call. Terminate the call and file an online complaint or call the Toll Free Helpline: 1-888-777-3406