What are Potter County Area Codes?
Area Code is a three-digit code introduced by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in 1947 to specify each Numbering Plan Area (NANP) in North American territory. It facilitates long-distance phone communication. In the State of Texas, the Public Utilities Commission implements and manages area codes. An area code lookup can help anyone find out the origin of phone calls. Only one area code is currently active in Potter County.
Area Code 806
Area code 806 was split from area codes 817 and 915. It was officially launched in January 1957, and it covers the Texas Panhandle area. Area code 806 serves the cities of Amarillo and Lubbock.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Potter County?
An estimated 67.9% of adult residents in the State of Texas preferred wireless-only telephones, as shown in a 2019 survey report released by the NCHS. An insignificant 2.5% of Texan adults used landline phones only. The survey also revealed that about 76.6% of Texans under 18 years used wireless-only service compared to an estimated 1.4% who used landline-only service. These statistics confirm the dominance of wireless telephony services over landlines in Potter County.
AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint all provide good network coverage in Potter County. AT&T offers about 90% coverage, while Sprint covers about 70% of the county. Verizon has an estimated 62% network spread. Other smaller prepaid carriers, known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), also provide telephony services in the county. The MVNOs run on the major phone carriers' infrastructure to provide network services.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) serves as an alternative to regular phone lines in Potter County as it allows residents to make phone calls using broadband internet connections. Users need computers, specialized VoIP phones, or landline phones connected to special VoIP adapters to make VoIP calls.
What are Potter County Phone Scams?
Potter County phone scams involve the use of telephone services to acquire money or confidential information from county residents fraudulently. Scammers use information obtained from such calls to execute fraudulent activities such as identity or financial theft. To achieve their intentions, they may spoof their phone numbers to disguise their identity and deceive targeted residents. Reverse phone number lookup applications can help scam targets unveil the real identities of such callers. Phone scam victims or targets in Potter County can file their reports and complaints with the appropriate security agencies for proper investigations. Prevalent phone scams in Potter County include:
What are Potter County Emergency Scams?
Scammers call Potter County residents, posing as relatives or friends, and claim to be in some emergencies and need financial help. To appear convincing, they may fake the voice of the person they impersonate, spoof targets’ Caller IDs to display familiar information, and mention some information obtained from targets’ social media accounts. They aim to manipulate the emotions of the call recipients by faking unfortunate situations such as accidents or arrests. They depict situations that require money urgently to obtain targets’ compliance. In most cases, they persuade their targets not to inform other people about these calls, claiming they do not want to get embarrassed. It is only a ploy to avoid getting verified.
The Attorney General of Texas encourages residents who receive such calls to verify the callers’ claims by contacting other friends or relatives to avoid getting scammed. Reverse phone lookup services can assist residents in finding out the actual callers and prevent them from falling victim to scams.
What are Potter County Lottery Scams?
In lottery scams, scammers call targeted Potter County residents to inform them that they are winners in lotteries in which they probably never participated. If the targets say that they did not buy tickets for such competitions, the scammers may claim that they got automatic slots into such lotteries from purchases made in familiar retail stores. To appear genuine, they may alter their phone numbers to appear as those reputable lottery companies. Potter County residents can uncover the identities of such callers using good reverse phone lookup services.
The scammers usually request payment of fees, often regarded as processing fees to facilitate the release of targets’ prizes. They may also request personal information from residents, stating that they need to confirm their records before processing their winnings. The Attorney General of Texas warns that no legitimate lottery requires upfront payment of any fee to redeem prizes. Hence, residents are advised to be wary of lottery scam schemes conducted over the phone.
What are Potter County IRS Impersonation Scams?
Scammers disguise themselves as officials of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to defraud unsuspecting Potter County residents. This scam is usually prevalent during tax filing seasons. It is primarily targeted at persons who are not well informed about IRS operations, such as new residents, elderly residents, and non-English immigrants. Scammers demand immediate tax payments over the phone and often insist on specific payment methods such as gift cards, cryptocurrencies, and wire transfers.
In a press release by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the IRS states that it does not solicit tax payments via phone calls. Also, the IRS does not require taxpayers to disclose their credit/debit card information over the phone. Residents who get such strange requests over the phone can contact the IRS to ascertain the genuineness of the callers’ claims. The IRS provides an online scam report portal where victims may report incidences of IRS Impersonation scams. Residents can also conduct suspicious phone number lookups on the callers’ phone numbers to verify whether they are registered with the IRS or its representatives. To avoid IRS scams, Potter County residents can educate themselves with the information provided by the IRS on how to avoid phone scams.
What are Potter County Mortgage Scams?
Mortgage scams are targeted at residents who are on the verge of foreclosure. Scammers pose as mortgage relief service providers and offer to rescue homeowners from foreclosure. They typically request sizable fees for such services and promise to relieve targets of their monthly mortgage payment. They, however, persuade their marks to cease communications with their mortgage servicer.
Homeowners at risk of foreclosure are advised to contact their mortgage servicer directly for possible foreclosure prevention options. Potter County residents can verify the true identities of callers who claim to be mortgage relief service providers using phone number lookup services. Victims of mortgage scams may file reports with the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas via their consumer complaint portal.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated phone calls that convey preset messages to recipients and are usually initiated by auto-dialers. They allow users to communicate with multiple phone users simultaneously within a short time. Robocalls provide a feedback system that enables call recipients to respond to instructions via prompts and preset input codes. As such, scammers may seek to manipulate residents into disclosing confidential information via robocalls. Residents may receive certain robocalls without prior permission, provided they are legitimate and meant for informational purposes. Examples of such robocalls include flight announcements or debt repayment reminders.
Spam calls refer to unauthorized, unwanted, and irrelevant phone calls. Out of over 5.4 million complaints of spam calls recorded by the FTC in 2019, 70% of these calls were robocalls. Potter County residents can use reverse cell phone lookup services to identify spam or robocall numbers and avoid getting scammed. To minimize the chances of falling prey to robocall scams, residents can take the following precautions:
- End a phone call once you notice it is a robocall. Responding to prompts will only lead to more automated messages and may expose you to scams.
- Register your phone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry by the FTC. The registry prevents registered phone numbers from receiving robocalls from legitimate telemarketers, making it easy to identify illegal robocalls.
- Enlist your phone numbers in the Texas No-Call List.
- Leverage online services that provide phone number search free of charge to help identify robocall and spam numbers.
- Install call-blocking applications to block identified robocall and spam numbers.
- Use the FTC's complaints assistant portal to file reports of illegal robocalls.
How Can You Spot and Report Potter County Phone Scams?
Scammers often adapt their schemes to explore the latest communication technologies for executing phone scams. To reduce the chances of being victimized, it is best practice to stay updated with the current security information on combating scams and fraudsters’ evolving tactics. Phone number lookup by address or by name can help Potter County residents in finding out the real identities of scammers and take corresponding safety measures to avoid phone scams. The following are common signs that a phone call is intended for a scam:
- Scammers often pressure targets into making on-the-spot payments over the phone. They may use threats of arrests, fines, or license revocation to compel their targets to yield to their demands.
- Attempts to obtain confidential information such as credit/debit card details over the phone are signs of phone scams. Residents may ascertain the identities of such callers using phone number search applications.
- Overly attractive business and investment offers with little or no risks indicate scams.
- Scammers prefer payment channels that leave financial transactions untraceable. Such mediums include gift cards, wire transfers, and cryptocurrencies. Residents should be wary of such requests over phone calls.
Many government agencies provide information and assistance to Potter County residents regarding phone scam-related issues. Some of them are:
Office of the Attorney General of Texas - Through its Consumer Protection Division, the Attorney General's Office protects residents by educating them on identifying and preventing phone scams. Residents can file phone scam complaints online with the Attorney General's Office.
Better Business Bureau - By providing verified information on legitimate businesses in the county, the BBB helps residents spot possible scam calls. The bureau also provides a scam tracker where residents can report phone scam incidents.
Federal Communications Commission - The FCC provides residents with Information on current phone scams and how to avoid them. Potter County residents can lodge complaints of phone scam-related matters with the FCC for investigation online.
Federal Trade Commission - The Do Not Call Registry managed by the FTC limits the influx of unwanted calls to registered phone numbers. The FTC keeps residents abreast of trending phone scams. Victims of phone scams in Potter County can submit their complaints to the FTC online.