What are Elkhart County Area Codes?
The North American telephone numbers are divided into Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). Consequently, each NPA has an Area code assigned to it. Area codes are the three-digit codes that begin every telephone number. Area codes ensure ease in identifying cities, states, and countries certain calls originated. A useful tool for conducting an area code lookup is the reverse phone lookup.
Area Code 219
Area code 219 was the initial area code that served Indiana for 54years before the year 2002. It served the northern third of Indiana from 1948. Area code 219 was the first area code after AT&T published the nationwide numbering system’s initial configuration in 1947. It was on the verge of exhaustion, leading to a three-way split into area codes 574, 260, and 219. Some of the cities and towns area code 219 serves are Chesterton Gray, Morocco, Monon, and Crown Point.
Area Code 574
Area code 574 is the area code that covers North-Central Indiana. It was created and officially put into service on January 15, 2002, as a split from the initial area code 219. Some of the cities and towns this area code covers are Elkhart, South Bend, Leesburg, Goshen, Mishawaka, Winamac, and La Porte.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Elkhart County?
There are four major phone networks in Elkhart County, including T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Among the four, Verizon has the highest rank, with the widest coverage score of 98%. T-Mobile is next with 70%, followed by Sprint with 66%. Lastly, with the least network coverage is AT&T with 64%. Notwithstanding these network qualities, suburban areas and areas with high density have better network coverage than other areas.
From the 2018 National Center of Health Statistics survey, an estimate of 63.3% of the Indiana adult population used only wireless telephone, while an estimate of 4% of the adult population used landline only. Conversely, an estimate of 75.4% of the Indiana population of minors used only wireless telephones, while just 2.4% of the minors used landlines only. It can be deduced from this survey that adults and minors in Indiana prefer to use wireless telephones over landlines for telephony services.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is another technology that most residents, especially businesses, use in Elkhart County. VoIP facilitates communication over an internet connection as well as multimedia transfer. Businesses mainly use VoIP because it not only suits their needs but it also permits flexibility. VoIP is cost-effective, allows certain customization, and has advanced features. Some advanced features of VoIP include Virtual Extensions, Conference Calling, Auto Attendant, Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc.
What are Elkhart County Phone Scams?
Elkhart County phone scams are scams that are directed at residents to fraudulently gain access to their personal and financial information. These scammers aim at extorting and stealing from residents. Scammers in Elkhart County have adopted various ways to defraud residents, taking advantage of the advancement of technology. Most times, scammers mirror the Caller IDs of legitimate organizations or one similar to it to impersonate representatives of such agencies or organizations. This method is rampant among scammers and is made possible with Caller ID spoofing.
All these innovations have advanced over time, and scammers make optimal use of them for illegal purposes. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Communications Commission (FCC), for this reason, educate residents on what illegal Caller ID spoofing entails, phone scams, and how to activate call blocking tools and features when needed.
Residents of Elkhart County can easily answer the question “who is this number registered to?” by taking advantage of reverse phone lookup services free, which also has call blocking options.
Common phone scams executed in Elkhart County are:
What are Elkhart County Sheriff Department Scams?
Elkhart Sheriff Department scams are those where scammers impersonate the Elkhart Sheriff’s Department or other law enforcement agencies, such as the Elkhart Police Department. Scammers manipulate their phone numbers to appear like that of actual officers. This is done to demand payment for the satisfaction of fines or avoidance of arrest, claiming the recipient has missed jury duty or court date. They issue threats of arrest for any form of non-compliance. The recipient is then asked to make payment through wire transfer, gift cards (iTunes), prepaid debit cards, etc.
The Sheriff's Department and the Police have warned residents to be wary of such scams. The department will not contact you over the phone for such issues or to demand payment of any sort. Be sure not to give out financial (credit card or bank account information) or personal information; instead, hang up immediately and report to the Elkhart’s Sheriff’s Department on 574-533-4151. Also, reverse phone lookup tools come in handy in trying to identify who called you.
What are IRS Scams?
IRS scams are targeted at taxpayers. These scams are usually widespread during tax seasons. Scammers call residents and pose as Internal Revenue Service (IRS) personnel, claiming the recipients owe taxes. They go as far as threatening arrest or deportation for supposed due payments and demand on-the-spot payment via prepaid cards, PayPal, gift cards, bitcoins, or wire transfers. Residents should understand that the IRS never calls out of the blue to demand such payment or ask for debit card information. Persons that receive such calls should instead contact the IRS personally. Phone number lookups also can be conducted using services that support reverse phone lookup free. This will help identify the callers.
The IRS enlightens residents on the red flags to look out for and how to know when it is the IRS calling. To report IRS scams, residents should contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) online or on the phone at 1-800-366-4484 with relevant information about the call received. Residents can also confirm claims by calling the Indiana Department of Revenue’s Customer Service on 317-232-2240 (Mondays-Fridays, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm).
What are Elkhart County Lottery Scams?
Lottery scams are mostly described as advance fee fraud. In lottery scams, scammers place calls to residents, informing them of supposed lotteries or prizes won. They then ask them to pay certain fees like “processing fees,” “government taxes,” “transfer charges,” etc., to claim the supposed winnings, which such residents never entered for. The prize to be won could be electronic appliances, tropical trips, or even cash prizes. Scammers often ask their victims to keep the winning confidential to avoid missing out on it. These scammers block their Caller IDs and instead copy that of legitimate lotteries.
Residents are advised to thoroughly research the lotteries in question. They may conduct suspicious phone number lookup using free reverse phone lookups. Note that nothing can be won if there was no prior registration for such lotteries. Also, legitimate lotteries will not require upfront payment for the prize won. Residents should never share their personal documents, account information, or credit card information. They should also avoid any payment request via electronic currency, such as bitcoin, international fund transfer, wire transfer, etc.
What are Elkhart County Social Security Administration Scams?
Here, scammers disguise themselves as social security administration officers and make payment demands, threatening residents with arrest, legal actions, and suspension of their Social Security numbers. They utilize Caller ID spoofing to conceal their numbers and copy that of actual Social Security agents. Sometimes, the scammers robocall residents to inform them that fraudulent activities have been carried out on their accounts. They then demand that they follow certain prompts to speak with live agents for more information. Residents are advised to hang up such calls immediately. They may then perform reverse phone look ups after to find out who called them.
When payment is demanded, scammers ask that payment be made via gift cards, wire transfers, or even cash. As a result of this increasingly growing scam, the Social Security Administration creates awareness on how this scam works and what to look out for. Residents can report these scams to the Inspector General’s Office or the Social Security Administration online. Complaints can as well be made to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated telephone calls sent to many people to disseminate pre-recorded messages, such as emergency announcements, but they are mainly associated with telemarketing campaigns and political parties. Robocalls sometimes direct recipients to follow certain prompts to stop receiving such robocalls or to be transferred to a live agent. These kinds of robocalls are often fraudulent and lead to streams of unwanted calls. Scammers use robocalls to obtain residents’ personal or financial information deceitfully, hence the need for residents to be wary. Other times, instead of using a live person, scammers use robocalls to send pre-recorded messages in bulk. These robocalls have ease of use and are affordable, making them a preferred option for scammers.
Generally, robocalls can be either legal or illegal. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), certain robocalls do not need the residents’ permission to be placed. They include:
- Debt collection robocalls.
- Robocalls for political campaigns
- Robocalls by legitimate health institutions
- Robocalls by charitable organizations
- Solely Informational purposes
On the other hand, Spam calls are unwanted calls that occur without prior notice, distributed to many people for reasons that are irrelevant to the recipients.
Residents should take the following steps to avoid and tackle illegitimate robocalls:
- Maximize the use of free reverse phone lookup websites and applications to detect and block robocalls.
- Once you realize that you have picked an unsolicited robocall, hang up immediately. Ignore call prompts from these robocalls.
- Be sure to register all personal phone numbers on the Indiana Do Not Call List or the National Do Not Call Registry to limit robocalls.
- File complaints to the FTC on the online complaint assistant or call 1-888-382-1222.
How to Spot and Report Elkhart County Phone Scams?
Elkhart County phone scams operate in different forms, and it is fast evolving. Residents should be aware of these scams and look out for red flags in order not to fall victim to these scams. Some of these red flags are:
- Callers that demand the disclosure of your personal or financial information- Do not disclose such information. No legitimate organization will make such demands over the phone. Contact the agency or organization you suspect is being impersonated directly.
- Callers telling recipients to make upfront payments for prizes won - Hang up such calls and report them to the relevant law enforcement agency.
- Callers that demand payment via gift cards, wire transfers, etc. - Payments like these are usually unretrievable and difficult to trace
- Urgent calls - These calls would need residents to make hurried decisions or payments and keep the call secret. Hang up such calls and conduct a reverse phone number lookup to answer the question “who called me?”
- Callers demanding immediate payment for a debt owed - These callers are usually aggressive and issue several threats. Residents must be aware that organizations and agencies do not call “out of the blue” to demand payment. They usually will first pre-inform the debtors. Hang up such calls immediately and report to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Elkhart County residents may report scams to any of these government agencies:
Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department - To report phone scams to the Sheriff’s Office, call (574)-891-2300 or 574-533-4151.
Elkhart Police Department - To report phone scams, call (574)-295-7070.
Indiana Consumer Protection Division - Report Indiana Do Not Call List complaints and other unsolicited calls online by filling the online complaint form or calling 800-382-5516.
Federal Communications Commission - Phone scams can be reported by completing the online complaint form or by calling the FCC on 1-877-382-4357.
Federal Trade Commission - Phone scams can be reported through the online consumer complaint assistant. Residents are advised to register on the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry to limit unsolicited calls.