What are Butler County Area Codes?
An area code is a set of three-digit numbers prefixed to ten-digit telephone numbers. It is assigned to a specific geographical region known as Numbering Plan Area (NPA) under the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) regulates area codes in the state.
Butler County has one active area code (513).
Area code 513
Area code 513 is an Ohio telephone area code in the NANP. It covers the southeastern part of the state. Area code 513 was created in 1947 as one of the original 86 NPAs that previously served the southwestern area of Ohio. Cities and towns within this area code include Hamilton, West Chester Township, Forest Park, Oxford, and Harrison. Others are Trenton, Whitewater Township, Miamitown, and Norwood.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Butler County?
According to a 2018 survey report by the National Center for Health Statistics, in Ohio, 4.3% of adults (above 18 years) relied solely on landlines for telecommunication. This is in contrast with 58.5% of adults that used cell phones exclusively. This suggests that the landline phone usage is fast declining, and more Butler County residents are adopting wireless telephony services.
Butler County is well-served by America’s four major phone carriers - AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. However, some Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) operate on these networks and offer competitively priced service options. AT&T has the best network reach and almost covers the entire county, providing a 99.9% coverage. Verizon and T-Mobile networks also offer excellent spread at 96.7% and 96.4% coverage, respectively. Sprint covers 81.9% of the county.
Butler County residents are exhibiting an increasing preference for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony services. This trend is driven by high-speed internet access over which VoIP delivers telephony services such as voice calls, text messaging, and video conferencing. VoIP provides an affordable telephony alternative and a wider range of flexible service options, making it a perfect choice for businesses and residents.
What are Butler County Phone Scams?
These are fraudulent acts by scammers to deprive Butler County residents of confidential information or money using telephony services. They often hide their identities when targeting unsuspecting residents. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) informs residents about trending scams in the county. Reverse phone lookup free tools can help uncover fraudsters’ true identities.
Common phone scams in Butler County include:
What are Jury Duty Scams?
In this scam, fraudsters call Butler County residents using spoofed phone numbers of local law enforcement to convince them to pay fines for missed jury duty. They threaten them with arrests if they hesitate to make payments. They often instruct them to buy preloaded MoneyPak cards and provide them with the serial numbers. In some cases, the victims are told to mail such cards to the U.S. Treasury Office. After that, they are instructed to drive down to the Sheriff’s Office to withdraw these warrants. The BCSO warns county locals that its officers will never solicit money by any means. If you receive this type of call, using reverse phone search tools can reveal who called.
What are IRS Scams?
Scammers pose as representatives of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to call Butler County residents and inform them of unpaid back taxes. They threaten to issue arrest warrants and place liens on their targets’ homes if they fail to pay immediately. These scammers usually demand specific payment methods like prepaid debit cards, iTunes gift cards, or wire transfers. Another variant of the IRS scam involves fraudsters requesting confidential information from their targets under the guise of correcting tax filing errors. Butler County taxpayers should desist from divulging personal or financial information over the phone unless they have verified callers’ identities. Residents who receive these calls can use reverse phone lookup free services to confirm callers’ identities. IRS scam victims can call 1 (800) 366-4484 to submit complaints at the Treasury Inspector For Tax Administration Office.
What are Grandparent Scams?
In grandparent scams, fraudsters prey on the emotion of elderly Butler County residents. They also exploit their affections for their grandchildren. By pretending to be grandchildren in distress, scammers trick their targets into hastily sending money via gift cards and wire transfers. A striking feature of this scam is the plea for secrecy. The phone scammers do this to dissuade their victims from telling third-parties about the schemes. Typical distress claims include arrests, involvement in accidents, and admission in hospitals, and the scammers usually claim to be in foreign countries. The BCSO cautions residents never to be pressured to send money when contacted by such callers. They advise that residents should always confirm if such callers are their genuine relatives by calling their known phone numbers. You can run a phone number search to uncover a caller’s identity if you suspect a fake grandchild is on the line.
What are Computer Repair Scams?
Fraudsters pose as tech support employees of familiar tech companies and inform unsuspecting Butler County residents that their computers have some viruses. They scare them further by saying there are imminent file losses and must fix the problems immediately. The scammers will request remote access to their marks’ computers and install malicious software on them in the process. Usually, the installed malware is designed to harvest their victims’ confidential information. Some others may prevent their victims’ from using their computers until they pay the scammers certain money. Residents should be careful never to grant remote access to unverified tech support employees. They can run such callers’ phone numbers through reverse number lookup search engines to retrieve identifying information about them and avoid this scam.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are auto-dialed phone calls that deliver pre-recorded messages to mass phone numbers at the same time. Although political organizations and telemarketers generally use them for legitimate purposes, scammers are increasingly using them for several illegitimate schemes. Robocalls confer anonymity on phone scammers and enable them to impersonate representatives of reputable entities in their various scam schemes. Fraudsters capitalize on the low cost of initiating robocalls to randomly inundate Butler County residents with spam calls. Free reverse cell phone lookups can, however, help residents ascertain if incoming calls are robocalls.
Residents explore the following options to avoid illegal robocalls:
- Hang up once you recognize a robocall and do not speak with a live agent or act on any prompt as may be instructed. Doing this will not take you off their calling lists but will likely mark you for future robocalls and phone scams.
- Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. Phone numbers registered on this FTC’s database are typically restricted from receiving unwanted calls. However, scammers ignore this regulation and will continue to target consumers with robocalls. It is easy to spot a spam call once you are registered.
- Inquire about free call-blocking and anti-spam services from your phone carrier. It is cost-effective to block scammers’ constantly changing phone numbers with free call-blocking tools.
- Use online services that provide reverse phone lookups free of charge to identify robocall numbers and block them.
- Submit complaints of unwanted robocalls to the FTC online or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Educate yourself on how to block unwanted calls as provided by the FTC.
How To Spot and Report Butler County Phone Scams
Several scams go undetected because most victims are ignorant about scammers’ schemes and tactics. By getting educated and aware of current scams, Butler county residents can more effectively spot phone scams and report them accordingly. Consumers can heed the following signs to help spot scam calls:
- Scammers always demand payments via unusual payment methods such as gift cards, wire transfers, or preloaded debit cards. They know that funds sent through these channels cannot be easily recovered.
- Scammers use threats and intimidation to create a sense of urgency and force their targets to comply with their demands.
- Fraudsters usually solicit confidential information such as PINs, social security numbers, and bank account information over the phone. Reputable organizations rarely do that, especially not over the phone.
- Scammers often entice their targets with prizes or fantastic offers to trigger greedy emotions. This overrides marks’ discernment and exposes them to being fleeced.
- Fraudsters often ask their targets for upfront fees before they can claim gifts. Any request for advance payments for any winning is a clear indication of a scam.
Scammers regularly vary their approaches and strategies. As such, no one is completely safe from their schemes. Nevertheless, residents can effectively protect their money and information by obtaining adequate education and staying alert. Furthermore, learning how to use reverse phone lookup free services is a good defense against phone scams.
The following government institutions help Butler County residents combat the menace of phone scams:
Butler County Sheriff’s Office: The BCSO guarantees the safety of residents from phone scammers by providing regular scam alerts and updates. Residents of Butler County who are phone scam victims can call the BCSO at (513) 785-1300 to file their complaints.
Federal Trade Commission: The FTC is charged with consumers’ protection against deceptive and unfair business acts. Consumers who have been unfairly exploited or scammed in the marketplace can submit complaints to the FTC online. The FTC also restricts unwanted robocalls from reaching consumers whose numbers have been added to the National Do Not Call Registry.
Federal Communications Commission: The FCC regulates domestic and international communications in the U.S. They enact consumer protection laws to fight the menace of illegal robocalls and phone spoofing scams. You can report incidents of unwanted robocalls or phone spoofing scams to the FCC online.
Ohio Attorney General’s Office: This Office protects Ohioans from predatory and dishonest business practices by enforcing the state’s consumer protection laws. Butler County residents who suspect they have been scammed can file complaints with the Ohio Attorney’s Office or by calling toll-free at 1 (800) 282-0515.