What are Delaware County Area Codes?
Area codes are the strings of three-digit codes at the beginning of local phone numbers in the United States. Delaware County area codes identify the Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in the county as assigned by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) delegates the management and implementation of all area codes in Ohio to the Ohio Public Utilities Commission (PUCO).
There are four area codes currently serving Delaware County. These are:
Area Code 614
Area Code 614 is an Ohio telephone code, and it is one of the original NPAs launched into service in 1947. It covers the cities of Columbus and Westerville in Delaware County.
Area Code 740
Split from the 614 NPA in 1997, area code 740 covers several counties in Ohio, including Delaware County. The communities in Delaware County within area code 740 include Delaware, Kilbourne, and Ashley.
Area Code 220
Area code 220 was put into service in 2015 as an overlay code for the 740 NPA. It currently serves the City of Delaware in Delaware County and some parts of several other counties in Ohio.
Area Code 380
Area code 380 overlays the 614 NPA. It was put into service in 2016 to serve the locations covered by area code 614 in Delaware County.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Delaware County?
Delaware County is served by the major phone carriers in America, with varying degrees of network coverage, and they all offer residents fantastic cell phone plans. Sprint provides the best network penetration of 98% in the City of Delaware, followed by Verizon at 82%. AT&T offers a network spread covering about 76% of the city. Some Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) also operate in Delaware County. They leverage the network infrastructures of the four major carriers to provide network services at more affordable rates.
The rate of cell phone adoption in Ohio continues to increase as residents gradually abandon their Landline phones. As of 2018, only 4.3% of the adult population in the state still had landline phones as their sole telephony devices. About 58.5% of them had adopted wireless-only telephony services. In a similar trend, an estimated 78.1% of the total children population used cell phones only, while 2.0% were exclusive landline phone users. These data were gathered in a 2018 CDC survey conducted to determine the percentage distribution of household telephone status in the United States, including Ohio.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) serves as an alternative to cellular and landline phone services in Delaware County. It provides a more flexible, efficient, and cheaper service than regular telephone services. VoIP technology routes communications over broadband internet connections instead of traditional phone lines. The continued widespread adoption of wireless telephony services in Delaware County is the reason for VoIP's popularity. It supports voice calls, video conferencing, text, and multimedia messaging.
What are Delaware County Phone Scams?
Delaware County phone scams are deceptive plots conducted over the phone targeted at unsuspecting county residents for financial and identity thefts. Phone scammers primarily use text messages, automated phone calls, and live calls in their scam schemes. Sometimes, they will appear as helpful, and at other times, they are aggressive, hostile, and use threats to obtain compliance by targets. Phone scammers favor phone spoofing as it allows them to conceal their identities. However, reverse phone lookup applications can help identify spoofed phone calls and prevent residents from falling victim to scams. In most of their scam schemes, fraudsters impersonate legitimate businesses and employees of familiar government agencies to gain targets' trust and then dupe them. Residents are advised never to trust the caller ID information appearing on their phone display when answering calls from unknown persons.
Various government agencies protect Delaware County residents from falling victim to phone scams. These include the Ohio Attorney General's Office (AG) and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office (DCSO). The Attorney General's Office regularly publishes scam alerts and provides residents with consumer tips to prevent them from getting victimized by phone scams. The widely committed phone scams in Delaware County include:
What are Delaware County Computer Repair Scams?
Computer repair scams are mainly targeted at computer users in Delaware County. The fraudsters will call targeted residents and identify themselves as representatives of their computer companies. Computer repair scams have many variations. They often claim to be with the popular ones, such as Apple and Microsoft. Phone number lookup services can return useful information on them, including their professional profile, and prevent residents from falling prey to scams. The callers will inform targets that they discovered some viruses on their computer systems while conducting routine checks and request remote access to fix the issues. They often warn targets about the possibility of losing all the files on their computers should they hesitate. In another version, once the scammers gain access to targets' computers, they will install malware on such PCs, which will adversely affect computer operations. Scammers use this as a tactic to sell supposed solutions in a bid to get their targets to pay handsomely. They request payment for their phony services by wire transfers or gift cards.
Delaware County residents are advised never to pay for any unsolicited assistance rendered by unknown persons over the phone. It is crucial to emphasize that computer companies will never call you and request remote access to your computer. If you get this type of call, hang up and contact your computer company on their official numbers to verify the caller's claim. Applications that offer reverse phone lookup free services can help retrieve identifying information on the caller. Granting remote access to unknown callers who claim to work for your computer company gives them access to all confidential information on your PC. This act exposes you to identity and financial fraud.
What are Delaware County Bank Scams?
Generally, bank scams aim at obtaining targets' financial information to rip them off. In bank scams, fraudsters pretend to be with Delaware residents' banks and spoof their phone numbers to display the banks' official phone numbers and names. Residents are more inclined to answer such calls as they appear to be coming from their banks. However, good reverse phone lookup services can help identify spoofed phone calls and prevent residents who use them from falling victim to scams. These scammers usually have some viable information on their targets, making them appear credible, and such eliminates all forms of suspicion by marks. Typically, the scammers will inform their targets that they observed some discrepancies on their bank accounts during regular checks and would require them to provide certain information for supposed verifications. They mostly request account numbers, PINs, account passwords, social security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth. Scammers often perpetrate identity and financial theft with such information if provided by targets.
Delaware County residents should be aware that no legitimate bank staff solicits confidential information over the phone. Do not disclose your bank account information to anyone who claims to be with your bank over the phone. If you receive this type of call, hang up immediately and contact your bank on their official numbers to verify the caller's claims. You can retrieve your bank's official phone numbers on their website. Searching the reverse phone number lookup of the caller's phone number can help obtain identifying information on them and prevent you from falling victim to bank scams.
What are Delaware County Sheriff’s Office Impersonation Scams?
Scammers are impersonating deputies of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) to cheat unsuspecting residents. They make up with all sorts of claims to fool targeted residents into believing they have violated some laws and must pay certain fines promptly of risk facing the consequences. The callers usually threaten immediate arrest if targets fail to pay as instructed. In extreme cases, they may threaten to put marks in jail in an attempt to get them to pay quickly. The scammers may also trick targets into sharing confidential information, with which they commit financial and identity theft. In most reported incidents of these scams, the fraudsters used the names and badge numbers of deputies to appear legitimate and cheat victims. In some instances, however, scammers can make up fake names and badge numbers to deceive residents. They favor payment by gift, cryptocurrencies, and wire transfers.
Residents should beware of unknown persons claiming to be with the DCSO. Officers of the DCSO do not solicit money or personal information from residents over the phone. If someone calls you with such demands, know that it is a call targeted at cheating you out of your money. Anyone who receives this type of call can conduct a reverse phone lookup to find an answer to the question: "who called me?
What are Delaware County Credit Card Scams?
In credit card scams, fraudsters identify themselves as the employees of familiar credit card companies and contact Delaware County residents. They primarily aim to obtain targets' credit card information using various ploys. In the popular script, these scammers inform their marks of some unusual charges on their cards and offer to investigate it and possibly refund such charges. They usually claim that the cards might have been compromised and being used by unknown persons for online purchases. To facilitate thorough investigations and refunds, however, the scammers will request some details on targets' credit cards. They usually instruct targets to provide complete credit card numbers, names on cards, and the Card Verification Value (CVV) to verify their ownership of such cards. CVV is a three-digit number (sometimes four) on the reverse side of a card and is usually required to complete online transactions. Residents who disclose this information compromise their cards, and of course, this leads to financial losses. However, conducting reverse phone lookup in suspicious phone numbers can help residents uncover the identities of these callers and avoid credit card scams.
If you receive this type of call, hang up immediately, and contact your credit card company to verify the caller's claims. You may also ask them to share with you your credit card statement for urgent review. Never share your credit card information with anyone over the phone, even if your caller ID information displays the name of your credit card company. Legitimate employees of a credit card company will never request that you share such details because they are confidential.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated calls that deliver pre recorded information to selected phone numbers at once. Government agencies, political campaign organizations, and telemarketers in Delaware County use robocalls for disseminating information to mass audiences. Although designed for legitimate uses, phone scammers now use robocalls to steal money and personal information from unsuspecting residents. They even spoof robocalls to imitate legitimate entities when preying on targets. Reverse phone number lookup applications can identify spoofed robocalls and help you avoid robocall scams.
Spam calls are unsolicited and irrelevant communications sent to mass recipients. Illegal robocalls are a type of spam call. Delaware County residents are advised to be careful with robocalls bearing the names and phone numbers of legitimate businesses or familiar government agencies to avoid falling victim to scams.
You can take the following actions to avoid getting victimized by illegal robocalls:
- Decline phone calls from phone numbers you do not recognize. If you do answer a call and realize it is a robocall, hang up immediately.
- Report illegal robocalls online to the FTC and spoofed robocalls to the FCC.
- Enroll your phone number in the National Do Not Call Registry by calling 1 (888) 382-1222 from your phone number or online. Any robocall you receive after 31 days of registration is a potential scam call.
- Run incoming calls from unknown phone numbers through an application that provides reverse phone lookup services to identify whether they are robocalls or not. Once identified as spam calls, block such numbers using call-blocking applications, built-in, or third-party.
How Can You Spot and Report Delaware County Phone Scams?
Phone scammers are regularly finding new ways to defraud Delaware County residents, and as such, being vigilant and staying informed is key to spotting their tricks. Applications offering phone number lookup free services can help you uncover the identities of suspicious callers and prevent you from falling victim to scams. If you observe any of the following during a phone conversation with an unknown caller, it is probably a call targeted at ripping you off:
- The caller claims to be a law enforcement agent and threatens you with arrest, prosecution, or deportation for not complying with their demands. Legitimate deputies of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office do not solicit money from residents over the phone.
- The caller pretends to be a representative of a reputable business and persuades you to share your personal information with them.
- The caller says you have a lottery in a competition you cannot recall entering in the first place and asks you to pay some fees to claim such winnings.
- The caller insists that you owe money to a creditor but refuses to share the details and instructs you to pay immediately to avoid arrest. They usually demand payment by gift cards and wire transfers.
The following government agencies provide reporting platforms for Delaware County residents who fall victim to phone scams:
Ohio Attorney General's Office - The Attorney General's Office accepts residents' phone scam complaints online. Victimized Delaware County residents can also report encounters with phone scammers to the Ohio Attorney General's Office on 1 (800) 282-0515.
Federal Communications Commission - Delaware County residents can file phone scam complaints online with the FCC or call 1 (888) 225-5322. The FCC provides residents with information on how to stop unwanted robocalls and avoid phone scams.
Delaware County Sheriff's Office - The DCSO encourages county residents to report all phone scam incidents to the agency on (740) 833-2810. Residents who wish to file phone scam complaints with the DCSO in person can do so at 149 N. Sandusky St., 2nd Floor, Delaware, OH 43015.
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC educates residents on call-blocking to prevent falling prey to scams by unwanted calls. It developed the National Do Not Call Registry to prevent registered residents from robocalls inundation and robocall scams. Delaware County residents file phone scam complaints online with the FTC or call 1 (888) 382-1222.