York County Reverse Phone Lookup

What are York County Area Codes?

Area codes are the three-digit prefixes before seven-digit telephone numbers that route long-distance calls to their destinations. When the first three-digit of a seven-digit area local telephone number is combined with the area code, a geographic address is created to route calls through the telephone network.  You can find the area code of an area in the United States by using area code lookup tools online.

Currently, only one area code serves York County – Area code 207.

Area Code 207

Area code 207 serves the whole of the State of Maine. It is one of the original 86 area codes created by AT&T and the Bell System in 1947. Major cities in this area code include Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland, Auburn, Augusta, and Westbrook.

What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in York County?

Wireless phone plans abound in York County and are the preferred telephony communications options for many residents. Evidence of a growing adoption rate for wireless telephony service in York and Maine is contained in a 2018 study carried out by the National Center for Health Statistics. The study revealed that among adults aged 18 and over in Maine, 47.7% used wireless-only telephony service, while 6.7% used landline telephony service exclusively. Among persons under the age of 18, the study revealed a higher adoption rate for wireless telephony use with approximately 63.1% of that demographic using wireless-only service.

Considering the different Major Network Operators (MNOs) and Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) offering cell phone plans on the market, York County residents are spoilt for choice when shopping for new wireless services. Deciding on a plan usually comes down to what you need and your budget, but even when you find out what suits your needs, it is good to consider the carrier's network coverage in your area.

All four MNOs have good coverage in York County, and by extension, the MVNOs do too. MVNOs are smaller carriers running on the network infrastructure of the MNOs. They purchase minutes and data in bulk from the MNOs and resell to the consumers at marked-down prices. Hence, if a parent MNO's network is good, the MVNO running on that MNO's infrastructure will also have good coverage. AT&T offers the best overall coverage in York County with a 98% coverage score, while Verizon's network is nearly as good with a 96% coverage score. Sprint and T-Mobile's coverages in the county are both rated at 76%.

Another option for telephony users in York County is VoIP phone plans from VoIP service providers. VoIP refers to Voice Over Internet Protocol and is a telephony system that uses high-speed Internet connections to transmit calls. VoIP plans are available for use with special IP phones, laptops, smartphones, and traditional analog telephones. One thing that makes VoIP appealing to users is accessibility. No matter where you are, if you have access to a broadband connection, you can make phone calls using your home phone number and account. VoIP can significantly cut costs by providing one account for multiple locations.

What are York County Phone Scams?

York County phone scams are illicit activities perpetrated over phone calls targeted at residents of York County to steal their money or fraudulently obtain their personal information. These scams may come from real persons, robocalls, or text messages. Scammers often make unfounded promises, such as opportunities to buy products, invest money, get free grants, lotteries, and obtain free vouchers or product trials. The Maine Attorney General's Office provides regular consumer alerts and awareness of current and popular phone scams carried out in the state. If you have fallen victim to a phone scam in York County, you may contact the local police department, the York County Sheriff's Office. Phone lookup applications can help unmask the real identities of phone scammers.

What are York County Warrant Scams?

Warrants scams are some of the most prevalent scams in York County. Callers contact York County residents claiming to be employees of the York County Sheriff's Office and inform them of warrants issued for their arrests. These fraudsters may come up with fictitious offenses such as missing jury duty services and failure to pay fake debts.

To have arrests waived, the scammers demand that residents pay fines or provide bank account information. Payments are required to be made through money transfer services such as MoneyGram and Western Union. You may also be asked to pay through reloadable cards that can be purchased from local stores. You can use free reverse phone number lookup tools online to help uncover who called and find who a number is registered to.

What are York County Medicare Scams?

In this scam, the caller contacts the target posing as a representative of Medicare. The caller may say that the government is issuing supplemental cards to take care of COVID-19 related expenses. The caller may also offer other supplemental health insurance or prescription coverage in the name of Medicare. In exchange, the caller asks for the target's Medicare number, Social Security number, banking information, or money.

In another variation of the scam, the caller may claim that your Medicare file needs updating. To update the file, the caller asks you to verify or provide your banking information. These calls are often insistent and the callers try hard to convince their targets about their stories. Once you provide this sensitive information to these con artists, it will be used in fraudulent acts. York County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.

What are York County Grandparent Scams?

Scammers lure in many York County residents through phone calls informing them of fake prizes or winnings. Unfortunately, most of these calls are simply scams. To get your prize, the scammer says that you only need to send money to cover some logistics costs, such as taxes, legal processing, and any other made-up hoops to get you to send funds. However, these prizes rarely arrive, if ever. You may be required to send money through cryptocurrencies, prepaid cards, gift cards. Cards that are frequently suggested by scammers include iTunes and Green Dot Cards. If you have genuinely won a prize, you should not have to pay tax or any other fee to obtain them. Any taxes due will be paid to the government at the end of the fiscal year, not upon receiving the prize. You can use a reverse cell phone lookup tool to verify if a caller’s identity matches the name given.

What are York County Tech Support Scams?

Tech support scams occur when scammers claim to be associated with computer software or security companies, or even cable or internet companies, offering technical support to the victims. Phony tech support companies use several different methods to contact or lure their victims. The scam may begin through cold calls or pop-ups or locked screens. The computer screen may suddenly freeze and display pop-ups warning the user that the device has been infected by malware or viruses. The pop-up display contains a phone number to contact to fix the device.

Once the phony tech support company or representative makes verbal contact with the victim, the scammer tries to convince the target to provide remote access to the computer device. Upon gaining control, the scammer may perpetrate additional criminal activities. For instance, the scammer takes control of the victim's device or bank account, and will not release control until the victim pays a ransom. York County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.

What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?

A robocall is a prerecorded message delivered through an automated call placed using a robo-dialer. Robo-dialers use computerized systems designed to deliver preset messages. These devices can store large lists of telephone numbers which can be dialed with very little human interaction. To limit the excesses of robocalls, the United States enacted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991, which requires telemarketers to obtain the express permissions of telephone subscribers before reaching them with robocalls. Outside the guidelines stipulated within the Act, the State of Maine also has robocall rules which require strict adherence by robo-dialer users and robocalls.

Although robocalls are largely associated with illegitimate activities, they are useful in certain instances. For instance, robocalls may be used by government bodies in public service announcements, while schools and political campaigners can also use robocalls to send messages to large audiences.

However, sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between a trustworthy telemarketer and a scammer who uses phone calls to lure people in. With the help of internet software, callers can operate from just about anywhere in the world, and the phone number coming through looks legitimate. For the vast majority of York County residents and Maine residents, robocalls and spam phone calls are a fact of daily life. They get more robocalls and spam calls than actual calls. According to reports, Maine residents received over 100 million robocalls in 2020. Between January and March 2021, an average of 28 robocalls was placed to each resident in the state.

These unwanted and unsolicited calls are spam calls and are often used in snooping for potential phone scam victims. York County residents may use reverse phone lookup tools to verify the identity of incoming calls to limit the odds of being fleeced by spam robocalls.

Other steps that can be taken to stop robocalls include:

• Join the National Do Not Registry: The National Do Not Call Registry is maintained by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to serve as a database for the telephone numbers of persons who would like not to be contacted by unsolicited calls. Register your number on the database by visiting the Registry or calling (888) 382-1222 from the number you wish to register. Putting your number on the list helps to “screen” your calls for legitimacy and reduces the number of legitimate telemarketing calls you get.
• Do not trust your caller ID: Fraudsters use official-sounding names, titles, and organizations to make residents trust them. To make calls look legitimate, scammers may also use spoofing techniques to disguise their area codes and generate fake names on caller IDs. Hence, a call displaying a local area code or somewhere in the United States may actually be originating from somewhere else in the world.
• Contact your telephone service provider to inquire about any available tools to block robocalls. Such call-blocking options may already exist in your current service plan. If they exist, ensure the functions are activated on your device. Additional robocall blocking protection may also be on offer from your service provider for a fee.
• Install third-party call-blocking applications on your phone, such as Truecaller, YouMail, Hiya, and Nomorobo. These are available on mobile phone online application stores.
• Do not answer calls with an unfamiliar caller ID. Let the call go to voicemail. Only return the call after determining that the caller is legitimate.
• If you answer any call and you hear a pre-recorded message, do not press any button. Hang up immediately.

How to Spot and Report York County Phone Scams?

Telephone scammers know no bounds as they have, at various points, posed as officers of law enforcement agencies, representatives of legitimate charitable groups, and pseudo-representatives of made-up non-profits. While phone scams have always involved tricking people into sending money, in recent years the nature of the calls has turned darker and, at times, even violent. It is not always easy to detect a fraudulent call, however, residents can find phone lookup services useful in identifying scam calls. Other signs to look out for during phone calls include:

• The caller asks you to wire money or send cash or a prepaid card: These means of transferring funds are often difficult to trace and that suits scammers. Once you have transferred money, you cannot trace or get it back.
• The caller asks for any of your financial or other personal information: Never release or confirm financial or other sensitive information, including your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number, unless you know exactly who you are talking to. Obtained personal information can be used to commit identity theft.
• The caller asks you to decide on the spot: Scammers often lure targets with the promise of big prizes or scare them with wrong information and ask them to make payments immediately. Resist the urge to act impulsively. Hang up and verify any information from other sources before deciding on actions that involve transferring funds or releasing sensitive personal information.
• The caller harasses you or threatens you: Any caller intimidating or threatening to arrest, sue, imprison, or revoke your licenses is very likely to be a scammer. Do not give in to threats. Hang up and block such calls from getting through to you.
• The caller asks you to pay an advance fee to access your winnings or get a prize: If you really won a prize, you should not have to pay for anything. Any fee paid upfront is unlikely to be refunded or traced. Besides, you will receive no prizes.

One way to limit the spread of phone scams is to report scam calls and perpetrated scams. Another way is to use reverse phone lookup tools to identify scam calls. However, if you have been targeted or fallen victim to phone scams in York County, you can report to the following bodies at local, state, and federal levels:

• The York County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments: If you have received a call from a scammer, you can contact your local police department or the York County Sheriff's Office at (207) 324-1113. In the county seat of Alfred, you can contact Troop A of the Maine State Police at (207) 459-1300.
• The Maine Attorney General’s Office:  To report a scam, you can file a complaint online to the Maine Attorney General Office or by calling the Consumer Protection Division at (207) 626-8849 or (800) 436-2131 – toll-free in Maine.
• Federal Communications Commission: If you receive unwanted robocalls and text messages, you can file a report online with the FCC.
• Federal Trade Commission - The FTC protects consumers from deceptive and fraudulent practices. You can file a phone scam report with the FTC by completing the online complaint form.