These two area codes, in particular, are notorious for traffic pumping:Ī separate but similar scam is the one-ring cell phone scam. If you hang up before the call connects, you’re billed nothing.Īrea codes that participate in traffic pumping are typically located in scarcely populated rural parts of a couple of Midwestern states. Unfortunately, the burden of the higher charge is shared by your wireless or landline provider with you, hence the warning about paying more that you hear at the start of an out-of-plan call. With inflated call volumes, the rural carriers can then bill the wireless and long-distance companies an exorbitant amount and give the chat lines a kickback. The goal is to artificially inflate the call volume into the home area codes of the rural carriers. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reports the rural carriers partner with chat lines, adult entertainment numbers, “free” conference call outfits and the like. Here’s the deal: Rural carriers are allowed under federal law to charge wireless and long-distance carriers higher access fees for calls to local subscribers.

Have you ever tried to place a call and gotten a message that the call is outside your plan and you’ll be charged a penny per minute? That’s a sign that you’re about to be “traffic pumped.”

The One-Ring Scam: Watch Out for These Area Codes.

Traffic Pumping: Beware of These Area Codes.

Dangerous Scam Phone Numbers and Area Codes: Table of Contents In this article, we’re going to explain what’s going on behind the scenes with these scams and arm you with the knowledge to beat them at their own game. It’s gotten to the point where you need every advantage you can get to keep the robocallers and their scam numbers at bay. We’ve got a list of dangerous area codes - the 712 area code, among others - and scam phone numbers that you’re going to want to see! Watch Out for These Scam Phone Numbers How many times have you heard the phone ring but didn’t want to pick it up because it could be one of those scam phone numbers dialing you?

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