What are Robeson County Area Codes?
Area codes are three-digit codes that begin American phone numbers. They were created by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) to specify the Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in particular geographical regions within the NANP territory. The NPAs simplify long-distance phone calls while identifying the origins and destinations of such calls. The North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) regulates and implements area codes in North Carolina, including Robeson County. Currently, only one area code serves Robeson County.
Area Code 910
Split from the 919 NPA in 1993, area code 910 serves Robeson County and other neighboring counties in North Carolina. Robeson County cities and towns within the area code 910 include Lumberton, Fairmont, Maxton, Parkton, and Pembroke. Others are Red Springs, Rowland, and Saint Pauls.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Robeson County?
Cell phone services are impressive in North Carolina, as evident in Robeson County. The four major carriers are represented and provide adequate coverage in the county. Several Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) also offer wireless services at more affordable rates than the major carriers. These MVNOs depend on the network facilities of the major carriers to function. Verizon boasts of the best coverage in Lumberton at 100%, while AT&T covers 90% of the city. T-Mobile has a spread of 81%, while Sprint has the least network coverage of 55%.
A 2018 CDC survey reported that only 4.5% of North Carolina’s adult population relied solely on landlines for telecommunication. In contrast, 57.3% of this group used cell phones exclusively. Among children under 18 years, 69% were strict cell phone users, while 2.6% lived in landline-only homes.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a telephony technology that has gained relevance among Robeson County residents. It uses IP networks like broadband internet to transmit voice, video calls, and text messages between users. Several homes and businesses in the county have adopted VoIP because it is more efficient, cheaper, and flexible than traditional phone services.
What are Robeson County Phone Scams?
Robeson County phone scams are illegal acts carried out using telephony services, channeled towards conning residents into releasing their money or confidential information. Different telephone services like live phone calls, text messages, or robocalls are used by fraudsters to carry out phone scams. Also, scammers usually use phone spoofing to conceal their true identities while pretending to be affiliated with legitimate agencies. Free reverse phone lookup applications can retrieve information on persons behind phone scams. Some public agencies protect county residents from phone scams. They include:
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Robeson County Sheriff’s Office.
- North Carolina Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- North Carolina Attorney General’s Office
Some prevalent phone scams in Robeson County are:
What are Robeson County Loan Scams?
Scammers contact Robeson County residents to offer immediate, interest-free personal loans to lure targets into divulging personal data or sending money. Usually, this scam involves a high level of sales tactics to trick residents into taking their offers without much consideration. Scammers often mark residents with poor credit history and pitch these enticing offers, convincing them that their credit backgrounds will not affect their eligibility. However, they insist the resident must pay an immediate up-front processing fee before accessing loans. In the process, they ask for their victims’ banking or personal details to supposedly document the loans and credit their bank accounts. Scammers use the information they collect to exploit their targets through financial and identity theft. Also, if targets pay the so-called processing fee, the scammers will abscond without delivering on their promise.
Usually, these fraudsters collect payment through wire transfers, bitcoins, or gift cards, because monies sent through these channels cannot be easily traced to them. The Attorney General’s Office urges residents to avoid sending money or giving sensitive information to unknown persons. You can use suspicious phone number lookup tools to retrieve information on these callers to figure out who called. Genuine lenders do not offer unsolicited loans to random clients or lend money to persons with bad credit histories. Residents should always research and ask questions before using the loan facilities of unfamiliar lenders.
What are Robeson County Phishing Scams?
Scammers pose as representatives of legitimate organizations or government agencies and call unsuspecting Robeson County residents to trick them into revealing personal and financial information. Although phishing scams could come in different forms, they aim to glean targets’ data for financial or identity theft. A variant of these scams is where scammers claim to be calling from their targets’ banks to alert them about suspicious activities on their accounts. Firstly, they send robocalls that mislead and incite panic in marks who frantically follow the robocalls’ prompts to engage live representatives. Scammers on the live calls then proffer false solutions that involve the targets giving out their PINs and account passwords to block the alleged fraudulent transactions. In another variant, scammers announce unsolicited prizes like vacations to their targets. However, they insist that their targets pay fees for taxes or shipping in advance to redeem their freebies.
Perpetrators of these scams often spoof their targets’ Caller IDs to mimic the organization they are impersonating. Unfortunately, many phishing attacks have successfully ripped off victims who do not usually realize the trick until the damage is done. Legitimate agencies do not usually ask for personal data unless you initiated the phone call. Therefore, if any caller makes such demands, hang up immediately and call the organization mentioned in the call on their official phone numbers. You can use good reverse phone lookup services to decipher callers’ real identities and block such numbers to ward off future attempts from those numbers.
What are Robeson County Car Warranty Scams?
These scams are tailored to trick vehicle owners into parting with confidential information or money while thinking they are extending their car warranties. Fraudsters posing as agents of car insurers or manufacturers call to notify residents that their car warranties have expired and must renew them immediately. They portray it as a matter of urgency and proffer solutions to unsuspecting targets who buy their scripts. Victims willingly divulge personal information to get new warranties and end up becoming victims of identity or financial theft. Scammers sometimes pitch fake warranty contracts with lower costs and huge benefits. They pressure their marks into making immediate deposits for the contracts or lose the rare opportunities.
Robeson County residents should not make hasty decisions based on information they get from unknown callers. Check your car owner’s manual or the car dealer to verify details about your warranty. Calling them directly on their official phone numbers will help you avoid predators who hide behind phone spoofing to commit these scams. You can also confirm such callers’ identities with reverse number lookup tools. Typically, genuine businesses do not pressure their customers to enter into contracts. The FTC urges residents to avoid sending money or revealing information to unknown persons and file online reports if they suspect scams.
What are Robeson County Jury Duty Scams?
Fraudsters identify themselves as employees of the Sheriff’s Office or the District Court and inform targets about missed jury duty in a bid to steal their information and money. They scare their targets with threats of impending arrests or lawsuits. Sadly, their victims quickly reveal confidential information out of anxiety, thinking that providing such information will help verify their identities and clear their names. Instead of vindicating them, disclosing such information will allow scammers access to their bank accounts or expose them to identity theft. Also, the scammers will insist that their targets make instant payments to satisfy fines imposed on them by the court. They usually opt for payment through prepaid debit cards, gift cards, or wire transfers to hide the transaction footprints.
In reality, residents who miss jury duty are sent notices via mail. Legitimate court or law enforcement officials do not solicit money or personal data over the phone for not appearing for jury duty. If you get such calls, hang up immediately without engaging the callers. You can know who a suspicious number is registered to with reverse phone number lookup applications. Residents can also contact the County Sheriff’s Office or the District Court on their official phone numbers to verify such callers’ claims.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are phone calls that convey recorded messages to selected phone numbers. They have broad applications in telemarketing, political campaigns, and government agencies for broadcasting information in bulk within a short period. However, phone scammers have adopted it in distributing messages in mass to cheat Robeson County residents out of their money. When robocalls are unwanted and relay irrelevant information to many phone numbers, they are called spam calls. Fraudsters usually mark phone numbers that respond to spam calls as active and target them for future scam engagement. Also, they disguise their caller IDs to announce themselves as representatives of reputable agencies to gain their targets’ trust. Robeson County residents can use phone number search tools to unmask spoofed calls and shield themselves from scams. Some great ways to handle illegal robocalls in Robeson County are:
- End calls once you realize they are robocalls and ignore their prompts. If you respond to robocalls, you can unintentionally sign up for more robocalls.
- File reports about illegal robocall phone numbers to the FTC online or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Enroll your number in the National Do Not Call Registry to be exempt from unsolicited robocalls. Any unwanted robocall you receive 31 days after enlisting your phone number in the DNC list is a potential scam and should be ignored and reported.
- Use free reverse phone lookup applications to spot spoofed robocall numbers and bar them with the call-blocking features on your phone.
How Can You Spot and Report Robeson County Phone Scams?
Arming yourself with updated information about current phone scams can help you identify phone scams as a Robeson County resident. The Attorney General’s Office and other public agencies in the county educate residents about scammers’ tricks and how to avoid them. Usually, phone scammers hide behind false identities when targeting residents. Therefore, it is essential to stay vigilant when answering phone calls, even when the caller seems legitimate. You can subscribe to phone number search applications to help identify incoming spoofed calls. The following are apparent signs of phone scams in Robeson County:
- The caller poses as a familiar government agency or business entity representative but tries to convince you to share financial and personal information. Legitimate businesses or government agencies do not ask residents to provide such information over the phone.
- The caller pitches attractive risk-free business deals with huge prospects but insists that you make immediate investments. Anyone who pressures you into making quick financial investments is most likely a scammer trying to dupe you.
- The caller claims to be a government official and threatens you with arrests or other legal actions if you refuse to comply with their demands.
- The caller gives clear payment instructions and prefers to receive money through gift cards, bitcoins, or wire transfers. Transactions through these channels are relatively untraceable, and legitimate organizations do not use these payment methods.
Agencies in Robeson County involved in combating phone scams and providing county residents with platforms for filing phone scam reports include:
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC): The FCC is the federal agency regulating telecommunications in the U.S. It provides recommendations to consumers on ways to steer clear of unsolicited robocalls and protects them from phone spoofing scams. Robeson County residents who are phone scam victims can submit online complaints to the FCC.
- Robeson County Sheriff’s Office: The RCSO informs residents about various phone scams in the county. They also receive and investigate complaints about phone scams within Robeson County. Residents who have fallen victim to phone scams can report to the County Sheriff’s Office by calling (910) 671-3100. They can also visit the agency in person at 120 Legend Road, Lumberton, NC 28358, to file their complaints.
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- Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Robeson County residents who are victims of phone scam attacks can report to the FTC by filing online complaints or calling 1 (888) 382-1222. Residents can also leverage the Do Not Call Registry developed by the FTC to minimize the frequency of unsolicited robocalls and spam calls.
- North Carolina Better Business Bureau (BBB): Robeson County residents who are victims of business scams over the phone can call the North Carolina BBB at (336) 852-4240 to file their complaints.
- North Carolina Attorney General’s Office: The Consumer Protection Division of the North Carolina AG’s Office receives reports about unwanted robocalls and phone scams from residents and protects them from scams. The Attorney General’s Office allows residents to report unwanted robocalls online. Robeson County residents can file reports of phone scams by calling (919) 716-6000 or filing Consumer Complaints with the Attorney General’s Office.