What are Tarrant County Area Codes?
Area codes are the first three digits in phone numbers. The North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) assigns area codes to identify Numbering Plan Areas (NPA) in different states. Area code administration lies with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). However, the Federal Communications Act of 1996 allows the FCC to delegate authority to state agencies for area code administration. The Public Utility Commission of Texas has this responsibility in Texas.
Tarrant County currently has two area codes serving all its cities. The active area codes in Tarrant County are:
Area Code 817
Area Code 817 is a Texas telephone area code in NANP that covers Tarrant County and parts of surrounding counties. Some of the cities it covers are Arlington, Bedford, Euless, Keller, and Forest Hill. Others include Azle, Lake Worth, Fort Worth, Trophy Club, Sansom Park, and Everman.
Area Code 682
Area code 682 is an overlay of area code 817. The 682 area code came into use in October 2000. It covers the same NPA as the 817 area code
What are the best cell phone plans in Tarrant County?
A large part of the Tarrant County population prefers the use of cell phones for telecommunications. In 2018, the CDC conducted a survey of household telephone usage in the United States. In Texas, an estimated 67.9% of the adult population (above 18 years) used wireless-only telephone services while 2.5% only used landline phones. The survey also revealed that about 76.6% of the children population (under 18 years) adopted only wireless devices for communication. In contrast, an estimated 1.4% of the children population used landline-only telephone services. With this data, it is safe to conclude that wireless telephone services are gradually taking over as preferred means of communication.
Wireless network services are generally better in the cities compared to rural areas. Tarrant County has all four major phone carriers offering varying extents of network coverage. AT&T provides the best coverage at 96.61% and is closely followed by Verizon which covers 91.11% of the county. Others are T-Mobile and Sprint with 85.92% and 56.32% coverage respectively.
Residents of Tarrant County also use VoIP services for phone communication. With VoIP, anyone with an internet-enabled device can make voice calls as well as video calls. VoIP phone services are more affordable and flexible than traditional phone alternatives. A growing number of businesses and individuals are signing up for VoIP services in Tarrant County.
What are Tarrant County Phone Scams?
These are scams perpetrated over the phone and targeted at unsuspecting residents of Tarrant County. Fraudsters pretend to be representatives of legitimate entities to obtain money and personal information unlawfully. It is possible to identify a scammer with the use of a good reverse phone lookup service.
The Attorney General of Texas (AGT) periodically provides scam alerts and information to the state residents on how to avoid falling victim to phone scams. In the same manner, the Tarrant County Constable publishes scam alerts to caution residents against fraudsters’ deceptive acts. Phone scam victims can file complaints online with the Consumer Protection Unit at the civil litigation division of the Attorney General's Office. The prevalent phone scams in Tarrant County are:
What are County Sheriff’s Office Impersonation Scams?
Scammers call their targets in Tarrant County and pose as employees of the county's law enforcement agencies. They trick the unsuspecting individuals into believing they owe law enforcement agencies and threaten them with arrest for failure to pay such fees. They often demand that targets pay immediately by purchasing the green dot money card or be arrested. Those who fall for this scam end up making payments and divulging personal and financial information. The scammers use the information obtained for both financial and identity theft.
The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office warns that it will not request payment from residents by green dot money card or other unconventional means. The Office also advises residents that none of its employees will threaten arrest over the phone. If you receive a call from anyone posing as an employee of the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office with unlawful demands, it is a scam. A reverse phone lookup will help you answer the question: "who called me?" Report such a call to the Office of the County Sheriff by calling (817) 884-3099.
What are Court Case Phone Scams?
Scammers, pretending to be officials of the Court Clerk’s Office, contact targets informing them of lawsuits against them. They provide non-existent case numbers and other false information to deceive their targets. They then promise their victims that they will remove their names from the cases if they make certain payments. Typically, they request payment via untraceable means as cryptocurrencies, wire transfers, and gift cards. Sometimes, they ask for other personal information. Reject the offer if you receive such calls to avoid falling victim. The County Clerk's Office will never contact residents of Tarrant County regarding payments or lawsuits.
If you receive a strange call from an individual claiming to be an officer of the court and want to authenticate their claims, contact the Tarrant County Clerk’s Office at (817) 884-1195. A reverse cell phone lookup will help you identify who called.
What are Immigration Phone Scams?
This kind of scam targets immigrants that are resident in Tarrant County and other locations in the US. Fraudsters, pretending to be employees of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), call to inform targets of issues with their immigration status. Sometimes, the targeted persons are said to be under investigation. At other times, it is to inform them of legal matters in their names regarding immigration status. They ask targets to pay via gift cards, wire transfers, or prepaid cards to have their names cleared. Often, they threaten that law enforcement officers are on their way to effect an arrest but may stop them if the target complies and pays immediately. Many immigrants in Tarrant County have lost funds and become victims of identity theft this way.
The Division of Consumer and Business Education of the FTC advises residents that the USCIS does not call immigrants or request payments on the phone. If you receive such calls, do not pay any fee or divulge personal and financial information. Call the USCIS at (800) 375-5283 for information regarding your immigration status. If you receive such a call, use services that provide free phone number lookup by name for details associated with the phone number. You may also file a complaint and share the number with FTC.
What are Jury Duty Scams?
Scammers call their targets to inform them of missed jury duty and the fines for them. They pose as employees of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, Constable, or Police Department. These scammers threaten impending arrests and jail if their targets fail to pay the fines. Usually, they request personal information from the unsuspecting victims and ask them to purchase green dot money cards from local stores. They promise the targets of clearing the arrest warrants once they comply. Most of the time, the scammers call with disposable cell phones and then share other numbers which their victims will contact to give the cards' details.
The Tarrant County Jury Services warn residents that it does not request payment on the phone for not attending jury duty. The service also informs that courts do not charge fines for missed jury duty. If you have received this type of call and wondered, "who is this number registered to?", a phone number lookup answers your concerns.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated pre-recorded phone calls. Such phone calls only deliver recorded information that prompts the receivers into further actions. Marketers, politicians, and the government use robocalls to share information as robocalls reach a wide audience at little cost. Unfortunately, scammers now utilize robocalls to perpetrate frauds against unsuspecting individuals. They do this by impersonating government agencies and legitimate companies. It is possible to know the identity of the person behind a suspicious robocall by using services that provide suspicious phone number lookup.
If you receive a robocall, the best course of actions are:
- Hang up immediately. Keeping the line open will only encourage more robocalls.
- Query a website that provides a phone number search free to establish the source of the call.
- Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry free of charge. Texas also has a No Call Lists that serves the same purpose. If you still receive robocalls after registering your number on these registries, the odds are good that they are from scammers.
- Immediately report the call to the FTC.
How Can You Spot and Report Tarrant County Phone Scams?
Fraudsters engage in phone scams to steal their targets’ funds or obtain personal information to commit identity theft. Phone scammers employ various tactics to deceive unsuspecting individuals. Staying informed can prevent you from falling victim to phone scams. You can uncover the identities of phone scammers by running their phone numbers through reverse phone number lookup websites or applications. Some of the common attributes of phone scams include:
- Scammers entice targets with offers that are too good to be true. They talk you into believing you will lose an offer if you fail to send money or share personal or financial information with them.
- Scammers exhibit reluctance when you probe to know more about their offers. They want you to think that asking questions causes delays that may make you lose their limited-time offers.
- Scammers want payments via untraceable means such as gift cards, wire transfer, and cryptocurrencies.
- Scammers will not allow you to think clearly about their offers. They push you to make impulse purchases of “limited-time products” with high-pressure tactics.
- Scammers claim to be distant relatives who need urgent financial assistance without giving you the chance to contact anyone for confirmation.
- Scammers sometimes use threats to request financial and personal information from unsuspecting targets, which they use to commit thefts.
Government agencies have the responsibility of educating residents and protecting them from the different ploys that phone scammers now adopt. These agencies include:
- Federal Trade Commission - The FTC has the responsibility of protecting consumers from unfair practices. If you have added your number to the National Do Not Call Registry and still receive unsolicited calls, they are likely scams. The FTC also shares information on call-blocking, which helps to prevent phone scams. If you have been scammed or received a fraudulent robocall, report to the FTC online or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Tarrant County Sheriff's Office - The Sheriff’s Office enforces the law and publishes scam alerts to educate residents. If you receive a fraudulent call or are a victim of a phone scam, contact the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office at (817) 884-3099.
- Federal Communications Commissions - The FCC protects consumers by implementing consumer policies. It also regulates communications throughout the United States. If you receive a call and suspect the phone number as one used for a phone scam, file a complaint immediately with the FCC.
Public Utility Commission of Texas - The PUC provides information to residents about current scam trends in the state. You can register your phone number on the Texas No Call Lists, managed by the PUC, to stop receiving robocalls. If you keep receiving robocalls after 60 days of registration, odds are they are phone scams. Take note of who called and report to the PUC online or call 1 (888) 782-8477.