What are Marion County Area Codes?
The country’s expanding population required a streamlined telephone call routing system, which led to the implementation of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The NANP simplified the transmission of phone calls by assigning distinct Numbering Plan Areas (NPA), or area codes, to different service regions. Identified by the three-digit numeric codes at the beginning of phone numbers, area codes make it possible to discern the origins of phone calls. Following the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s directives, the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission (IURC) supervises the area codes in Indiana.
Two area codes currently serve Marion County. These are:
Area Code 317
Area code 317 is one of the original 86 area codes introduced in the country in 1947. It served a larger part of Indiana before other area codes were split off. Currently, it serves Marion County, and parts of neighboring counties. Marion County towns and cities under this area code include Indianapolis, Lawrence, Beech Grove, Speedway, Cumberland, and Southport.
Area Code 463
Area code 463 is a telephone code in the NANP introduced in 2016 as an overlay for the 317 NPA.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Marion County?
Telephony service preferences have shifted over the years with many residents of Marion County, and Indiana as a whole, switching to wireless and VoIP phone services. Landlines that used to be dominant are now almost extinct. A CDC report indicated that as of 2018, the percentage of adults in Indiana that used wireless-only services in their homes was 63.3%. Landline-only users came in at 4% among this demographic. Among residents under 18 years of age, only 2.4% lived in landlines-only households. This was in sharp contrast to the 75.4% reported living in homes that exclusively used wireless telephony services.
The four major network operators provide excellent phone services across Indiana. AT&T covers almost 100% of the state while Verizon and T-Mobile have 98.9%, and 96.5% of Indiana covered respectively. Sprint’s 81.7% coverage in the state lags behind the other telephone carriers.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services that route telephone calls through the internet is another reason for the decline in landline usage. VoIP services’ flexibility, efficiency, and affordability have proven popular among consumers, especially business owners.
What are Marion County Phone Scams?
Phone scams are fraudulent schemes conducted using telephony services. Fraudsters running phone scams in Marion County aim to steal residents’ funds and personal information. Phone calls (from live and automated callers) and text messages are popular tools used to commit phone scams against Marion County residents. The Consumer Protection Division of Office of the Indiana Attorney General identified common phone scams in the state as follows:
What are Prize Offer Scams?
Scammers get targets to believe prizes are available for redemption after the completion of some tasks. These tasks vary. Some will require the marks to purchase goods or subscribe to services. Others might involve listening to recorded messages. Scammers may also trick the targets into paying some clearance fees or upfront taxes to claim their prizes. Typically the targets complete these tasks and end up without the promised prizes. Any reward or prize on offer that requires paying or subscribing to a service is a scam. Report prize offer scams online by completing the Consumer Protection Division’s consumer complaint form or call (317) 232-6330.
What are Travel Offer Scams?
Criminals running these scams call Marion County residents and offer highly subsidized vacations to foreign and exotic locations. However, these offers are usually not real. If they do exist, victims are not informed about hidden services they have unintentionally subscribed to and will be charged for. Residents should ask questions and ensure all the information about vacation offers is available before accepting. Report traveling offer scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
What are Health Products Scams?
These scams prey on those looking for healthcare products, usually those claiming to contain natural ingredients, and offer them at exorbitant prices. The fraudsters exaggerate the efficacy of the products on offer, with promises of instant relief from every ailment. Health authorities warn Marion County residents that there are no wonder drugs that cure every illness. Victims should report this scam to the Consumer Protection Division.
What are Investment Scams?
Scammers make enticing get-rich-quick offers to residents, hoping they fall for these phony proposals. The criminals promise high-yield business opportunities that the victims “should not allow to slip away.” They convince their victims that swift actions are required to close the deals to keep them from thinking clearly about these bogus offers. They jump at these bogus propositions and end up with considerable financial losses.
Authorities warn that Marion County residents should not rush into decisions concerning business opportunities especially from strangers. They should carry out thorough research on any business proposals they receive. Residents can obtain information on legitimate businesses from the Better Business Bureau. Victims can report investment scams using the FTC online complaints assistant.
What are Fake Charities Scams?
Scammers set up phony charities and use them to extort money from Marion County residents. They solicit funds with these charities and receive payments from unsuspecting victims. Marion County residents should ensure they verify the authenticity of any charity before making donations. Residents can obtain information on legitimate charitable organizations from the Better Business Bureau. It is also advisable to donate with checks written in the charities’ names rather than wire transfers or cash. Report incidences of this scam to the Consumer Protection Division.
What are Recovery Scams?
Recovery scams target residents that have previously fallen victim to other scams. Victims get calls supposedly from recovery agents claiming to be able to recover lost funds. Victims pay fees for the services that are never rendered and get swindled for the second time. Marion County residents should be vigilant and report scams only to law enforcement agencies. Self-proclaimed recovery agencies making such claims are untrustworthy. Report these scams to the Consumer Protection Division. Phone number searches are capable of preventing scams by retrieving the real identities of the callers. A reverse phone number lookup can answer the “who is this number registered to?” question and reveal any red flags about an unknown caller.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are calls placed by automatic dialling machines to deliver pre-recorded messages to phone users. Robocalls are legitimate telemarketing tools that scammers have adopted to fish for targets. The Indiana Legislature recently passed a law regulating the use of automatic dialing machines. The law requires every robocall to be preceded by a live operator who fully discloses that it is a robocall and the purpose of the call. This gives Marion County residents the chance to reject robocalls.
Smartphones also have call-blocking features capable of detecting suspicious spam calls and blocking the numbers used for robocalls. Subscribers also have the option of accessing call filtering and blocking services from their telephone network operators.
If you receive a lot of robocalls, try the follow steps to reduce their frequency:
- Ignore calls from unknown phone numbers and let them go to voicemail. Return calls from those that left proper messages.
- Set up a password for your voicemail to avoid scammers hijacking it.
- End any call suspected to be a robocall if you inadvertently picked it.
- Do not follow the instructions provided by robocall voice prompts. These prompts will only identify your number as active and lead to more robocalls.
- Place your number on the National Do Not Call Registry and Indiana Do Not Call List. Adding your number to these lists will keep away legitimate telemarketers. Therefore, robocalls received after registering can be treated as potential scam calls.
- Report robocall abuse to the Attorney General’s Office or the FTC.
How to Spot and Report Marion County Phone Scams?
Scammers use established tactics to extort and steal personal information from their targets. They impersonate people, institutions, and government agencies familiar to their victims. Marion County residents should look out for these signs of possible phone scams:
- Callers claiming you won a prize or the lottery but demanding payment for taxes, processing, or shipping before receiving your reward
- Business opportunities that are about to close and will be lost if immediate action is not taken are potential scams. Scammers want to rush victims into making decisions.
- Representatives of government agencies and financial institutions calling for your personal information. Do not share your personal information with any individual during unsolicited phone calls.
- Individuals that require you to pay only via gift cards or wire transfers are potential scammers. These methods of payments are hard to trace once the funds are transferred and received.
- Representatives of government agencies that threaten arrest if unpaid taxes are not cleared or personal data not revealed immediately are scammers. No government agency threatens a citizen with arrest over the phone.
- Robocalls received after registering on both the National Do Not Call Registry and Indiana Do Not Call List. Legitimate telemarketers follow the rules and do not call numbers on these lists.
Marion County residents can avoid phone scams by educating themselves about the different forms of these scams. Several government agencies provide resources to help residents recognize scammers’ tactics. Government agencies helping Marion County residents avoid, report, and recover from phone scams include:
Marion County Sheriff’s Office receives reports on scams via the telephone number (317) 327-1700 or by email.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Organized Crime Section investigates reported scam activities and apprehends criminals. Report phone scams to the Organized Crime Section directly by dialing (317) 327-3658 or submit an anonymous tip online.
The Office of the Indiana Attorney General has a Consumer Protection Division that provides information on common telephone scams in the state. The Attorney General’s Office is in charge of the Indiana Do Not Call List that restricts legitimate telemarketers. Marion County residents can also subscribe to receive regular scam alerts from the Attorney General’s Office. Report scams to the Attorney General’s Office by completing complaint forms online.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates the telecommunications industry. The FCC’s guidelines on how to identify spoofing and activate call blocking help residents avoid
scams. The FCC has also mandated network operators to improve caller authentication to eradicate caller ID spoofing. Unsolicited robocalls and phone spoofing scams should be reported to the FCC.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protects the interests of consumers in the marketplace. The FTC provides guides that help residents identify common phone scams and avoid robocalls. The National Do Not Call Registry that keeps away legitimate telemarketers is managed by the FTC. Use the FTC’s online complaint assistance form to submit reports on scam incidents.