Try as we might, Americans just can’t get away from the annoying spam and call scams ringing through to our phones. While we’ve covered some of the more notable ones like the IRS scam, there are others that many have fallen victim to such as the Grandparent scam or the Medical Alert scam.
Since Hiya believes data should be used for good, we decided to leverage our information to empower our users with the knowledge to sort the scam from calls we want to take. What we found was that some cities were home to more spam numbers than others. But before we show you the top 10 area codes spamming America, we’ll tell you a little about how we got our results.
Hiya analyzes more than 1.5 billion calls and texts every month
As the most advanced spam identification system on the market, we look at billions of calls, texts, and phone lookups from over 50 million users to determine which numbers are exhibiting spam-like behavior. But we couldn’t have done it without a little help from our users. Giving people the power to report spam numbers, has helped us to alert and warn other users. A list of flagged numbers is viewable on Hiya for Android and iPhone, which shows you a spam score, number of reports and comments from the Hiya community for incoming calls identified as suspected spam. By combining our research with inside info from the public, we’re able to offer accurate spam scores.
We’re on a mission to help you dodge those calls
By analyzing more than 1.5 billion calls and texts in a month, we are able to identify the top 10 states making the most spam calls.
Many people fall victim to phone scams because they’re receiving calls from area codes familiar to them, often times seemingly from their backyards. While all of us are less likely to pick up a call from an 800 number, there’s a very good chance that we’ll answer a call from a recognized area code. And today’s scammers know that.
Top 10 spam area codes
Outside of toll free numbers such as 800, 866, 877, 888, and 855, we identified the following list as the top 10 area codes Americans are receiving as spam:
1) 313 – Detroit
2) 713 – Houston
3) 954 – Fort Lauderdale
4) 404 – Atlanta
5) 484 – Eastern and Southeastern Pennsylvania
6) 407 – Orlando
7) 214 – Dallas
8) 202 – Washington, D.C.
9) 972 – Dallas
10) 205 – Birmingham
Knowing this information can help you ditch the spam and scam calls, but what’s even more effective is downloading the free Hiya mobile app to receive alerts on incoming calls suspected of spam.
Lastly, don’t ever give out personal information to a stranger over the phone. If they claim they’re from the IRS or your local bank, then hang up, look up that organization’s phone number and reach out to that party directly to ask if they’ve been attempting to reach you. At the end of the day, when you make the call, you’re in control.
