What are Hamilton County Area Codes?
Area codes were introduced under the North American Numbering Plan to simplify the process of making phone calls in the United States. Hamilton County area codes are three-digit codes preceding ten-digit telephone numbers. They identify telephone service regions known as Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in the county. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) oversees and manages all area codes in the state.
Three area codes serve Hamilton County. These are:
Area Code 317
Introduced as one of the original 86 area codes in 1947, area code 317 initially served more than half of northern Indiana. It currently covers Hamilton County and the parts of other nearby counties. Hamilton County cities and communities under the 317 NPA include Noblesville, Carmel, Cicero, Fishers, Sheridan, Arcadia, and Westfield.
Area Code 463
Area code 463 was put into service in 2016 as an overlay for the 317 NPA. It covers the same regions as area code 317.
Area Code 765
Split from the 317 NPA, area code 765 was activated for service in 1997. It is an Indiana telephone area code in the NANP that serves central Indiana, including Atlanta.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Hamilton County?
Hamilton County residents are relying less on landlines and more on wireless telephony services for communication. A 2018 CDC study estimated the percentage of Indiana citizens (above 18 years) who used landlines exclusively at 4%. Adult Indianans who relied only on cell phones, by contrast, stood at 63.3%. For Indiana youths (below 18 years), 2.4% of them used only landlines, while 75.4% of them had adopted wireless-only services.
Excellent network coverage is available to Hamilton County residents except for persons in remote parts of the county. AT&T provides the best coverage at 100%. Verizon covers 98.9% of the county, while T-Mobile has a spread of 96.5%. Sprint proves the least coverage at 81.7%.
Hamilton County residents are increasingly adopting VoIP as an alternative to traditional phone systems. With VoIP, residents can make calls at more affordable rates, especially for long-distance calling. The absence of a standard regulation for VoIP telephony services is one of the factors responsible for its rapid and continued adoption across the county.
What are Hamilton County Phone Scams?
These are scams perpetrated by fraudsters using telephony services to steal from Hamilton County residents. They are used to deprive Hamilton County residents of their money and confidential information and are often executed by spoofing residents’ Caller IDs. Phone scam attempts can, however, be foiled using services that offer free reverse phone lookups. Hamilton County residents who are phone scam victims can file reports with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office by calling (317) 773-1872. They can also file complaints with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General (OAG) online. Alternatively, Hamilton County residents can lodge their complaints with the OAG by calling 1 (800) 382-5516 or submitting completed consumer complaint forms in person at:
Office of the Indiana Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
Government Center South 5th Floor
302 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
What are COVID-19 Scams?
Scammers take advantage of the fears associated with the coronavirus pandemic to fleece unsuspecting residents of Hamilton County. Pretending to be representatives of familiar charities, scammers call residents and solicit donations to help fight the COVID-19 virus. They often use similar-sounding names to fool residents that they are legitimate. Note, however, that phone number lookup free tools can help uncover the identities of fake charity scammers. Hamilton County residents whose donations have been fraudulently solicited should notify the Indiana Attorney General’s Office.
What are Tax Warrant Scams?
Scammers claim to be deputies at the Sheriff’s Office and call Hamilton County residents to inform them that tax warrants have been issued for them. They threaten their marks with arrests and tell them the government will possess their properties if they do not pay immediately. These scammers often spoof their targets’ Caller ID information to make them believe they are being called by the Sheriff’s Office. They also instruct them to make payments using prepaid debit cards or wire transfers. The Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that deputies are authorized to collect debts on behalf of the Indiana Department of Revenue. However, it reminds residents that tax warrants are not arrest warrants, rather they are open invitations to settle tax debts. Hamilton County residents targeted by these calls can contact the Sheriff’s Office or call the Indiana Department of Revenue at (317) 232-2165 to verify the alleged tax warrants. Reverse phone lookups also provide viable options for uncovering such scammers’ identities.
What are Jury Duty Scams?
In this scam, fraudsters call Hamilton County residents claiming to be local court officials working with the Sheriff’s Office. They inform their targets that they owe fines for failing to report for jury duty and that arrest warrants were issued for them. The scammers then pressure the marks into making payments by wire transfer or prepaid credit cards to enable them to clear the warrants against them. Sometimes, scammers may fool their victims into revealing confidential information for supposed verifications. Residents who receive these calls can confirm active arrest warrants by calling the Hamilton County Jail Division at (317) 773-99800. County locals can use reverse phone lookup free services to retrieve information about the callers. The Hamilton County Sheriff also instructs residents to hang up such calls since arrest warrants are never served by telephone.
What are Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams?
Fraudsters pose as federal government officials in these scams and inform their marks of winning federally supervised lotteries or sweepstakes. To further establish their credibility and gain their targets’ trust, scammers may sometimes claim to be from the Federal Trade Commission. They may also spoof their targets’ Caller IDs to display the official phone numbers of the FTC. The victim is then told to pay taxes or service charges using wire transfers to redeem their winnings. Services that offer free reverse phone lookups can provide clues to the real identities of these scammers. Hamilton County residents can notify the FTC or the Indiana Attorney General’s Office about these scams.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are phone calls that disseminate recorded messages to large audiences at the same time using autodialers. They are legitimate communication tools for executing awareness campaigns and providing public service announcements. Used by political and telemarketing organizations for legitimate purposes, robocalls have become more synonymous with phone scams in Hamilton County. To ascertain if an inbound call is a robocall, a called party can conduct a free reverse phone lookup. Scammers can preserve their anonymity and impersonate employees of reputable organizations when using robocalls.
You can adopt these actions to prevent being scammed by illegal robocalls:
- Do not answer phone calls from unknown numbers. Use your voicemail machine to confirm genuine callers since they will likely leave messages.
- End a robocall if you mistakenly answer one. Ignore any instruction to press a number to remove your number from their calling list or speak with a live agent. Fraudsters only want to confirm that your number is active so they can inundate you with more robocalls.
- Find out from your phone service provider if they offer A call-blocking service. Also, confirm if it is free to avoid the high cost of blocking several robocall numbers. Some third-party call-blocking applications can help in this regard.
- Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call List and Indiana Do Not Call List. The FTC and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office prohibit legitimate businesses and telemarketers from targeting registered Hamilton County residents with unwanted robocalls. Registration is typically free for county residents, but telemarketers and other businesses must pay fees to access updated lists of registered phone numbers.
- File reports of robocall violations with the FTC online or the Indiana Attorney General’s Office online.
Hamilton County residents can also educate themselves on how to block unwanted robocalls as provided by the FTC.
How Can You Spot and Report Hamilton County Phone Scams?
Scammers are sophisticated and use various clever tactics to steal from Hamilton County residents. They often impersonate employees of government agencies or other reputable organizations to convince their targets to share confidential information or make payments. However, education and vigilance are proven defenses against phone scams and can help county residents avoid falling prey to phone scammers.
The following signs may indicate that a phone call is a scam:
- The caller pretends to be with a reputable business and asks for confidential information such as PINs, social security numbers, credit card numbers, or bank account details.
- An unsolicited phone request by someone who claims to work for a tech firm for remote access to a resident’s computer to delete a virus signals a scam.
- The caller tries to force you to comply with their demand using fear tactics and threats of fines, arrest, litigation, or deportation.
- The caller poses as a government official and instructs you to send money through unusual payment means like cryptocurrencies, gift cards, wire transfers, or preloaded debit/credit cards.
- An unknown caller offers a low-risk investment opportunity with unbelievably high returns and asks you to send money immediately.
Phone scammers target everyone regardless of their status. However, Hamilton County residents can avoid scams using phone lookup tools to retrieve information about unknown callers. They can also obtain information on consumer protection from the following government institutions:
Federal Communications Commission: The FCC is in charge of domestic and international communications in the U.S. They protect American consumers from phone spoofing scams and unlawful robocalls. Residents of Hamilton County can report cases of unwanted robocalls and phone imposter scams to the FCC online.
Federal Trade Commission: The FTC is committed to protecting consumers in the United States from deceptive and fraudulent trade practices. They maintain the National Do Not Call Registry to help registered consumers reduce the frequency of unwanted robocalls to their phone numbers. Hamilton County residents who continue to receive unwanted robocalls after thirty-one days of signing up on the DNC list can file complaints with the FTC online.
Office of the Indiana Attorney General: This Office keeps Indiana citizens safe from anti-competitive and predatory business acts in the state. They also provide residents with consumer protection education to protect them from phone scams and identity theft. The Attorney General’s Office manages the Indiana DNC list, which restricts unwanted robocalls to registered residents.
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office: The Sheriff’s Office fights crime and preserves law and order in the county. They also issue alerts on common and novel phone scams to residents. Residents who are scam targets or phone scam victims can forward complaints to the Sheriff’s Office by calling (317) 773-1872.