What are Pitt County Area Codes?
Area codes were established by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) to simplify telephony services and divide NANPA territories into Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs). They are the three-digit numbers at the beginning of American phone numbers. The North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) maintains area codes in North Carolina.
Pitt County officially uses one active area code:
Area Code 252
Area code 252 is a North Carolina area code created from a split of the 919 NPA and put into service in 1998. It serves Pitt County and other neighboring counties within the state. Pitt county cities and towns within the 252 NPA include Greenville, Ayden, Bethel, Farmville, and Grifton.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Pitt County?
The best cell phone plans in Pitt County are offered by America's major network carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint. They provide satisfactory network services throughout the county. In the City of Greenville, Verizon boasts of 100% coverage, while AT&T ranks next at 93.7%. T-Mobile offers an 83.6% spread, while Sprint covers 58.3% of the city. Pitt County residents also enjoy affordable cell phone plans offered by smaller Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs).
A 2018 National Health Interview Survey for North Carolina showed that 57.3% of the state’s adult population used cell phones solely for telecommunication. This is in contrast to the 4.5% of them that depended on landline phones. Likewise, children below 18 years favored cell phones over landlines as 69% had adopted wireless-only telephony services while only 2.6% still used landline phones exclusively. These statistics indicate that cellphones are now the mainstay for telecommunication in North Carolina, including Pitt County.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology provides Pitt county residents an alternative telephony means. Unlike regular telephone calls, VoIP uses IP networks to transmit calls and text messages. It also supports video calling and has various features that make it particularly attractive to county residents for both personal and business use.
What are Pitt County Phone Scams?
Pitt County phone scams are calls made or text messages sent by fraudsters to unsuspecting county residents aimed at stealing money or personal information. Typically, phone scammers conceal their identities through phone spoofing technology to appear credible. They often impersonate legitimate businesses or government officials when carrying out their schemes. Using good reverse phone lookup applications, county residents can figure out who called them from unknown phone numbers.
Some public agencies responsible for protecting Pitt County residents from phone scams include:
- Pitt County Sheriff’s Office
- North Carolina Attorney General’s Office
- North Carolina Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Common scams perpetrated in Pitt County include:
What are Pitt County Charity Scams?
Charity scams are perpetrated by callers pretending to be representatives of reputable or fake charities to steal money or personal information from their targets. Fraudsters take advantage of the goodwill of their marks and try to convince them to contribute to worthy causes. Generally, these scams are rampant after tragedies. The fraudsters often do whatever it takes to get county residents to make contributions, usually via wire transfers or gift cards. The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office advises residents never to indulge unknown persons asking for charity donations over the phone. Before making any contribution, make sure to research the charity properly and contact them directly on their official phone numbers. This is because scammers usually spoof their phone numbers to display the names of well-known charity organizations while preying on residents. Luckily, spoofed phone numbers can be uncovered using applications that offer free reverse phone number lookup services. Victims of phone scams can file reports with the FTC and. If a fake charity takes advantage of a natural disaster, report it to the National Centre for Disaster Fraud.
What are Pitt County Medicare Scams?
These are scams targeted at medicare beneficiaries. Scammers contact naive Pitt County residents and pretend to be medicare employees in an attempt to rip them off. During the phone conversations, they inform targets that their medicare cards have expired and then emphasize the need to obtain new ones. They will insist that the victims update their information before they can be issued new cards. In the process, they garner sensitive information such as medicare numbers to steal from the medicare system by filing illegal medical charges. These scammers often sound helpful when they call, and unfortunately, many residents have taken their bait. If their target refuses to comply with their demands, they will warn them of imminent medicare coverage loss. If you get a call from an unknown person making such demands, hang up immediately. You can contact the Medicare office on their official phone numbers to verify the caller’s claims. County residents should never divulge confidential information over the phone even if the caller ID appears genuine. They can avoid these scams using reverse cell phone lookup applications to uncover the identities of unknown callers. County residents can report medicare scams online to the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or call 1 (800) 447-8477.
What are Pitt County Credit Card Scams?
Scammers posing as employees of credit card companies call Pitt County residents in an attempt to obtain credit card information for fraudulent purposes. They usually claim to be with the fraud departments and inform residents about certain unusual charges they received from a different state or foreign country. They ask if their marks were responsible for such charges, and in many cases, the response is no. The fraudsters will then suggest that the victims block and destroy their cards and apply for new ones. They will request targets’ credit card numbers, PINs, and other confidential information for supposed card replacements in a bid to dupe them. Although they always sound credible and convincing, the Sheriff’s Office warns residents never to oblige such requests. It advises them to hang up and call their credit card companies directly on their official phone numbers to authenticate claims if they receive such calls. Residents can use suspicious phone number lookup services to verify these callers’ identities. If you fall victim to a credit card scam, contact your card issuer immediately to stop all charges pending when you gain absolute control of the card.
What are Pitt County Social Security Scams?
In social security scams, fraudsters impersonate officials of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to deceive Pitt County residents into disclosing personal information. They mostly spoof their targets’ Caller IDs and inform them about some fraud being perpetrated with their social security numbers or a need to update their social security accounts. Alternatively, they may claim that their targets are eligible for an increase in their monthly benefits and must provide their information to enjoy it. They sometimes threaten to terminate such benefits if they perceive hesitation on the parts of their targets. These fraudsters use the confidential information gleaned from their victims for identity theft. Elderly residents of Pitt County are especially vulnerable to these scams and must be careful when receiving calls from unknown phone numbers. Residents can find the identities of these callers, using their phone numbers and running them through websites that offer reverse phone lookup services. The SSA will never ask for your personal information in unsolicited phone calls unless you initiated such a call. Hang up if you suspect a social security fraud and report it to the Office of the Inspector General, SSA, by calling 1 (800) 269-0271 or online.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are calls made from auto-dialers to deliver voice recordings to a mass audience. They have a wide application in public announcements and telemarketing campaigns and offer flexibility. Scammers have also adopted robocalls in their scam schemes and mostly do so by spoofing. As a result, unsuspecting residents feel safe when conversing with fraudsters and eventually succumb to their demands. You can use reverse phone number lookup to find an answer to the question “who called me?” when you receive an automated call. Spam calls are unsolicited calls, usually pre-recorded, that relay irrelevant information in bulk within a short period. The following are steps you can take to avoid illegal robocalls:
- Hang up once you realize you have answered a robocall. This will help you avoid following prompts that may lead to more robocalls.
- File reports of unsolicited robocalls to the state’s Attorney General’s Office.
- Identify the real phone numbers behind robocalls using reverse phone lookup tools and block them. You can access FCC resources on blocking unwanted robocalls on their website.
- Enlist your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry to opt-out of receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls. If robocalls persist after 31 days of registration, report them to the FTC by filing online complaints as they are most likely scam calls.
How Can You Spot and Report Pitt County Phone Scams?
You can spot Pitt County phone scams by knowing how scammers operate and staying alert whenever you answer calls from unknown persons. Scammers usually employ different tricks. Sometimes they appear helpful, and at other times, they are harsh. Residents can stay ahead of their schemes using reverse number lookup applications to ascertain the identities of unknown callers. The Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office and other public agencies educate county residents on prevalent phone scams. They also provide platforms for reporting scams and advise residents on ways to avoid them. Some signs that are indicative of possible scams are:
- An unfriendly, often persistent demand for money or confidential information by a caller claiming to be a law enforcement officer is a scam. Legitimate government officials do not threaten residents over the phone or solicit money in unsolicited calls.
- A caller who insists on specific and odd payment methods such as gift cards or cryptocurrencies is a fraudster. Genuine businesses will never request payments through these channels.
- The caller offers investment opportunities with huge returns and no risk. Anyone who invests money in such deals will likely lose their investment because legitimate businesses do not make such propositions.
- A caller who emphasizes a limited time window in an attempt to sell a product or service and pressures you into buying is a potential scammer. Their goal is to prevent you from properly investigating their proposal.
The public agencies that investigate phone scam reports and protect Pitt County residents from phone scams include:
- Pitt County Sheriff’s Office: Pitt County residents can report phone scams to the Sheriff's Office by calling (252) 902-2800 or visiting 100 W. 3rd Street, Greenville, NC 27834, in person. The office is situated at the Pitt County Courthouse.
- North Carolina Attorney General’s Office: The Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office protects consumers from scams and investigates complaints about unwanted robocalls and phone scams in the state. County residents can file Consumer Complaints with the Attorney General’s Office or call (919) 716-6000. They can also report unsolicited robocalls to the Attorney General’s Office online.
- North Carolina Better Business Bureau (BBB): The state’s BBB receives and looks into complaints about fraudulent businesses. Pitt County residents duped by businesses can report to the BBB by calling (843) 488-2227.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Pitt County residents can file phone scam complaints with the FTC online. They can also register their phone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry to exclude their phone numbers from being contacted by telemarketers. Unsolicited calls that come in 31 days after registration should be regarded as scam calls and reported to the FTC.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Pitt County residents can report phone scams to the FCC online.