What are Somerset County Area Codes?
Area codes are the strings of three-digit codes established by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). They precede North American phone numbers and identify the Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in a state. The NANP divided telephone service areas into NPAs to ease long-distance calling. Somerset County area codes identify the origins and destinations of calls in the county. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) administers and implements area codes in New Jersey, including Somerset County.
Five area codes currently serve Somerset County. These are:
Area Code 609
Area code 609 is a telephone area code in the NANP for New Jersey. Split from the 201 NPA in 1957, area code 609 covers Somerset County and some parts of a few other counties in the state. It includes Kingston, Rocky Hill, and Skillman in Somerset County.
Area Code 908
Split from the 201 NPA in 1990, area code 908 serves Somerset County. Somerset County cities and communities under area code 201 include Somerville, North Plainfield, Bernardsville, Manville, Martinsville, and Finderne.
Area Code 973
Area code 973 is a split of the 201 NPA that serves Bernardsville in Somerset County. It also covers several other counties in New Jersey.
Area Code 732
Area code 732 is a New Jersey telephone area code. It was put into service in 1997 as a split of the 908 NPA. Area code 732 serves Somerset, East Millstone, and Bound Brook in Somerset County.
Area Code 848
Area code 848 is a New Jersey telephone area code that overlays the 732 NPA. All the communities served by area code 732 are also within this NPA.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Somerset County?
Wireless telephony services are excellent in New Jersey, as evident in Somerset County. All four major carriers are present and provide adequate coverage in the county. Some Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) also offer telephony services at affordable rates than the major carriers. MVNOs rely on the major carriers’ network infrastructures to provide telephony services. T-Mobile and Verizon both boast over 80% coverage in Sommerville, while AT&T covers 76% of the borough. Sprint has a spread of 72%.
A 2018 National Health Interview Survey reported that adults in New Jersey who used landline phones as their sole means of telecommunication made up 4.9% of the population. Those that used wireless services only were 38.1%. The shift towards wireless telephony services is more evident among children in New Jersey homes. Data from the survey indicated that 41.5% used wireless services exclusively, while 3.2% used only landlines. The report suggests a similar trend in Somerset County.
VoIP (VoIP over Internet Protocol) is an alternative to wireless telephony and landlines that has gained relevance among Somerset County residents. It is cheaper and efficient than standard telephone systems. VoIP provides telephony services to individuals and businesses using IP networks, primarily broadband internet connections.
What are Somerset County Phone Scams?
Phone scams in Somerset County are fraudulent acts perpetrated using telephone services to obtain money or confidential information from county residents. The telephone services used in extorting residents include text messages, live phone calls, and robocalls. Reverse phone number lookup tools can return information on the phone numbers used for phone scams.
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is the primary consumer protection agency in the state. It provides scam alerts to keep residents abreast of the latest phone scams. The OAG investigates phone scam incidents, provides consumer education, and prosecutes individuals or businesses involved in deceptive practices. The Somerset County Sheriff's Office supports county residents and other public agencies in the fight against the bane of phone scams. Common phone scams in Somerset County include:
What are Social Security Scams?
There are many variations of social security scams in Somerset County. In a prevalent version, scammers will contact targeted residents and inform them that the Social Security Administration (SSA) has suspended their Social Security Numbers (SSNs) due to fraudulent activities. The fraudsters typically pose as federal agents and claim to be investigating cases of identity theft involving their social security numbers. They will then provide phone numbers for the targets to call and resolve the issues.
Targets who call these numbers will be informed that the SSA has suspended their social security numbers (SSNs) because they were compromised and used for fraudulent acts. Sometimes, the accomplices will ask the targets to confirm their SSNs for reactivation. At other times, they may say targets' banks are about to place liens on their accounts. The scammers will advise them to withdraw all their savings immediately and put them on multiple gift cards. They will then request their marks to send the gift cards numbers and physical cards to addresses which they will provide with a promise to keep them safe.
The SSA will never call to inform you that your SSN has been suspended and will not ask you to put money on gift cards. Never disclose your SSN to an unknown person over the phone. SSA employees will never request that you confirm SSN to them over the phone as they have such information on file. End such calls immediately if you get them. You can uncover such scammers' identities using applications that provide reverse phone lookup free services. Somerset County residents can report such scam calls to the Office of the Inspector General by calling 1 (800) 269-0271.
What are Lottery Scams?
Beware of unknown persons who call out of the blue claiming you won prizes in a national lottery you did not enter. Run the callers' phone numbers through applications that offer free reverse phone lookup to uncover their identities and avoid scams. In this scam, Somerset County residents receive unsolicited calls from persons claiming to be with familiar lottery organizations. However, to collect their winnings, the fraudsters will inform their targets to provide some information and send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. They fool their marks into sharing confidential information for supposed identity and bank account information verification. If you are contacted with these claims, hang up immediately to avoid falling prey to the callers' deceptive schemes. Providing such information will make you vulnerable to identity and financial theft. These scammers have a preference for collecting payment by wire transfers and gift cards. Persons who yield to the scammers' requests usually end up losing money and their identities.
Although a scammer may tell you that you were automatically enrolled in a lottery, know that you cannot win if you did not buy a ticket for it. Also, legitimate lottery companies do not demand upfront payments as criteria to lay claims on winnings. Somerset County residents who fall victim to lottery scams can report such incidents to local law enforcement.
What are Power Utility Scams?
The Somerset County Sheriff's Office warns county residents of utility scams. Phone scammers take advantage of residents by calling and demanding immediate payments of delinquent power bills. They usually use intimidating and aggressive tactics to ensure that targets comply with their demands. These scammers claim to be representatives of local energy providers and insist that their marks are behind on electricity bill payments. In most instances, they will threaten to shut off power if they do not receive payments the same day. Utility scammers favor payment by wire transfers, gift cards, and prepaid cards because transactions completed on such channels are hard to trace.
The callers can also spoof their targets’ Caller IDs to make their calls appear to be coming from their energy providers. Some reverse phone lookup services can identify spoofed calls and prevent residents from falling victim to utility scams. Do not panic if you receive this type of phone call or a message threatening to disconnect service for having overdue energy bills. Typically by law, a utility provider is required to serve you with multiple written notices before shutting off service. It is best to call your local energy provider and verify the caller's claims. You will find their official phone number on your previous energy bills. Note that a legitimate utility company will never request payment by irregular means such as wire transfer or gift cards.
What are Warrants and Debts Phone Scams?
Beware of a continuing phone scam in which the callers impersonate employees of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office to rip off county residents. The callers identify themselves as deputies and say that their targets have outstanding warrants or debts and demand immediate payments. In some cases, the callers will request their targets' personal information and payment for non-appearance for jury duty, delinquent IRS payments, false warrants, and civil processes. The scammers typically threaten their marks with arrest and jail if they cannot pay immediately. Their preferred means of collecting such payments include wire transfers and gift cards. They may also arrange to meet their marks to receive cash or obtain prepaid credit cards.
If you are contacted by someone posing as a law enforcement agent to solicit payment for unfounded reasons over the phone, hang up immediately. You can retrieve information about the caller’s identity by searching their phone number on reverse phone lookup websites. Never share your personal or financial information with anyone over the phone to avoid identity and financial theft. Employees of the Somerset County Sheriff's Office do not solicit money over the phone or threaten residents with arrests.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are telephone calls that deliver automated messages to selected mass phone numbers. They were originally developed for use by government agencies, telemarketers, and political campaign groups. These entities use robocalls legitimately for public service announcements to reach large audiences with little or no human interaction. However, robocalls have been adopted by fraudsters to cheat naive Somerset County residents out of their money. Robocalls are a type of spam call. Generally, spam calls are unwanted telephone solicitations used to contact random phone numbers.
By nature, the phone numbers used for placing robocalls can be tweaked, and this enables phone scammers to hide their real identities and impersonate reputable entities. Most residents fall prey to phone scams that use robocalls to operate because they are used to receiving robocalls from familiar organizations. The FTC provides guidelines to block unwanted calls on any platform on its website.
The best options to deal with illegal robocalls in Somerset County include:
- Use phone number lookup free services to identify robocall numbers and block them.
- Ignore calls from unknown phone numbers. Legitimate callers will leave messages behind, and you can return such calls.
- Report any illegal robocall numbers to the FTC online or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. This Registry exempts registered phone numbers from receiving robocalls and spam calls unless permitted by law. Spam calls received after 31 days of registration are potential scam calls and should be avoided.
- End a phone call once you identify it is a robocall. Disregard the voice prompts as these lead to more robocalls, and note your phone number for future unsolicited calls.
- Use the in-built call-blocking feature on your phone and those provided by your phone company to block identified robocall numbers.
How Can You Spot and Report Somerset County Phone Scams?
Staying informed on the current waves of phone scams is an effective way to spot phone scams in Somerset County. Being vigilant during phone calls with unknown callers is also key to identifying phone scams. Generally, most phone scams are new variations of old ones, and phone scam awareness within the county can re-awaken residents' innate ability to spot and avoid phone scams. The following are clear indicators of phone scams in Somerset County:
- An unknown caller offers attractive and rare investment opportunities in which you benefit massively from your insignificant investment. However, the caller wants you to make an immediate payment without verifying their authenticity.
- The caller claims to represent a familiar business entity or government agency and asks you to share personal and financial information. No employee of any reputable business will request such on an unsolicited phone call.
- The caller pretends to be with the Sheriff's Office and demands immediate payment for crimes you did not commit. They usually insist on getting paid by gift cards or wire transfers to cover their tracks.
- The caller informs you of prizes or winnings, especially from competitions you did not enter, and wants you to send money to claim such winnings. Their preferred channels of taking payment are suspicious and include gift cards, bitcoins, and wire transfers.
- The caller claims to represent a government agency, usually, law enforcement and uses scare tactics to coerce you into giving in to their bidding. Legitimate employees of government agencies will not threaten you over the phone.
Somerset residents who can perform phone number searches by names, addresses, and phone numbers using services that offer reverse phone lookup can spot phone scams with ease. Effective use of reverse phone lookup applications can prevent phone users from falling victims to phone scams. Agencies involved in combating the scourge of phone scams in Somerset County also provide platforms for reporting phone scam incidents in the county. They include:
- Office of the Attorney General - The Office of Consumer Protection of the OAG enforces the Consumer Fraud Act in New Jersey, including Somerset County. It educates and protects residents from falling prey to fraudsters' deceptive schemes. Residents who believe they may have fallen victim to phone scams can report to the OAG by calling (973) 504-6200. They may also file their complaints with the OAG online or by email.
- Federal Trade Commission - The National Do Not Call Registry was developed by the FTC to give relief to residents who want to reduce privacy intrusion by unsolicited calls. Victims of robocall scams or other phone scams in Somerset County can report such incidents to the FTC by calling 1 (888) 382-1222 or file complaints online with them.
- Somerset County Sheriff's Office - The Sheriff's Office educates residents on all public safety issues, including phone scams. They also investigate reported incidents of scams within the county. Individuals who believe they may have fallen victim to phone scams in Somerset County can report them to the Sheriff's Office by calling (908) 231-7140.
- Federal Communication Commission - The FCC regulates telecommunications in the United States. It protects consumers from illegal robocalls and phone spoofing scams. It also provides guidelines on avoiding these deceptive acts. Victims of robocall scams and other phone scams can submit complaints online to the FCC.