What are Dutchess County Area Codes?
An area code is a set of three digits that is part of a telephone number, routing long-distance calls to their destination. An area code is useful in identifying the origin and destination of a phone call. For quick information about a specific area code, use area code lookup tools online.
There are currently four area codes serving Dutchess County.
Area Code 845
Area code 845 serves the southern part of New York and covers New City, Poughkeepsie, and Spring Valley. It is the only area code serving those areas. Area code 845 was created from area code 914 and was first used on June 5, 2000. Other cities served by this code include Kingston, Kiryas Joel, Monsey, Nanuet, Stony Point, and Beacon.
Area Code 518
Area code 518 serves the northeastern part of New York, covering Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. It is overlaid by area code 838 which serves the same area. The only city in Dutchess County served by area code 518 is Millerton.
Area Code 838
Area code 838 was created from area code 518 and was first used on September 19, 2017. It also serves Millerton in Dutchess County. Other cities served by area code 838 include Troy, Plattsburgh, Amsterdam, Cohoes, Gloversville, Glens Falls, Watervliet, and Rensselaer.
Area Code 914
Area code 914 serves southeastern New York, covering Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and White Plains. It is the only code serving these areas. Area code 914 is one of the original 86 area codes created by AT&T and the Bell System in 1947. Area code 914 was split in 2000 creating the need to update some of the phone numbers to area code 845. Other cities served by this code include Ossining, Eastchester, Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, Rye, Tarrytown, and Mount Kisco.
What Are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Dutchess County?
Before signing up for a cellphone service plan, you need to confirm that local coverage is available. The best provider varies depending on where an individual lives or works in Dutchess County. A plan may be inexpensive, but may not be worth the expense if "no signal" errors frequently appear on your cell phone. Note that while "dead zones" remain in small towns and rural areas, all major cellphone services provide thorough coverage in Dutchess County. AT&T has the best coverage with an overall score of 88%, T-Mobile has 86%, Sprint has 82%, while Verizon coverage is rated 80% in Dutchess County.
Dutchess County residents can purchase family plans, individual postpaid lines, prepaid plans that present no long-term contracts or device financing requirements. Dutchess County residents are not limited to using one of the major carriers in the county. Residents can also choose from quality cell phone carriers who purchase minutes, text, and data from the Major Network Operators (MNOs). These small carriers are referred to as MVNOs. Typically, these smaller carriers offer cheaper plans because they do not build or maintain their own infrastructure.
Dutchess County residents also use VoIP as one of their wireless telephony options. VoIP refers to Voice over Internet Protocol, a technology that allows users to make calls over the internet. VoIP calls are cheaper than calls placed using cellular and landline services because VoIP uses existing internet connections rather than requiring a separate system or additional hardware.
According to a survey conducted by the National Health Center Statistics in 2018, 38.8% of individuals above the age of 18 in New York used wireless-only telephone service, while 6.0% used landline services exclusively. Among persons under the age of 18, 45.9% used wireless-only telephone service, while 2.9% used landline-only telephone service.
What are Dutchess County Phone Scams?
Dutchess County phone scams are fraudulent activities perpetrated using phone calls by fraudsters to con Dutchess County residents out of their money or to obtain their personal information to commit fraud. The tactics used by phone scammers vary from playing on their victims’ emotions to get money, or in some cases posing as law enforcement officials trying to convince victims that they are legitimate. Common phone scams in Dutchess County include one ring scams, Medicare scams, sheriff impostor scams, and IRS impersonation scams. Phone lookup applications can help unmask the real identities of phone scammers.
What are Dutchess County One-Ring Scams?
The one-ring scam is a highly effective scam yet simple in principle. In this scam, the target receives a phone ring from a supposedly local number with the area code of the target's location. However, the caller will hang up before the target can answer the call. This is a deliberate attempt with the aim of having the target call back believing that the missed call was from a known individual or entity. What is unknown to the target is that it is an international number making money from the return calls it receives.
In one-ring scams, calls are automated and can be placed to a lot of random cell phone numbers using automatic dialing announcing devices (ADADs). Calling the numbers results in draining the victims’ credits as most of the scammers' numbers are premium-rate numbers that make money from the calls they get. By using reverse phone lookup international tools online, you can find out whether a phone number is actually registered in the United States or a foreign country. An area code lookup tool will also help you verify if the phone number is registered to a resident in your local area.
What are Dutchess County Sheriff Impostor Scams?
Dutchess County sheriff impostor scams are some of the most common government impostor scams. Here, scammers pretend to be from the sheriff's office or other local law enforcement and demand money or personal information from residents. Often, a sheriff impostor will claim the target has missed jury duty or will be arrested for a fictitious offense. To avert an arrest, payment will be required to be sent by wire transfer, prepaid debit cards, or gift cards. To help verify that callers are who they say they are, you can use good reverse phone lookup tools online to quickly do a number lookup or reverse number lookup.
What are Dutchess County IRS Scams?
Dutchess County IRS scams are quite rampant during tax seasons. Con artists involved in this scam target recent immigrants and other taxpayers residing in the county. The callers claim to work with the IRS, using fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. Many times, these criminals have done background work on their targets, churning out information such as home addresses, workplaces, and portions of social security numbers. IRS scammers usually alter the caller IDs to make it look like the IRS is calling.
Targets are told they owe money to the IRS which must be paid urgently through wire transfers or gift cards. A target may be threatened with deportation, arrest, or suspension of driver or business license. Many times, the caller becomes hostile and insults the target. Targets may be told they have a refund due to lure them into giving away private information. If the phone is not answered, the caller leaves an "urgent" callback request.
Note that the IRS does not:
- Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone;
- Require a specific payment method;
- Threaten to bring in local police; or
- Demand payment without giving an opportunity to appeal the amount
Many IRS scam calls originate outside of the United States. You may conduct a “reverse phone lookup international” search online to verify the source of such calls. A “reverse phone lookup USA” search will help track the origin of a call placed within the United States.
What are Dutchess County Medicare Scams?
Here, scammers call county residents when it is time to renew or enroll in Medicare, Medicaid, or other government health plans. The fraudsters pose as representatives of health organizations while enrolling residents in inappropriate or false coverage plans and collecting their personal and financial information in the process. Collected information is used in identity thefts with the victims only later finding out that they were charged for services, procedures, or products they did not purchase or subscribe for.
In a modified version of the scam, Medicare scammers trick their targets into releasing private healthcare details and other personal information by supposedly trying to provide them with new or updated Medicare cards. A scammer may request your Medicare number, Social Security number, and credit card information which will later be used for service or products that will be falsely charged to your account. To help verify that callers are who they say they are, you can use good reverse phone lookup tools online to quickly do a number lookup or reverse number lookup.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
A robocall is an automated phone call placed using an auto-dialer to deliver a prerecorded message to a large number of people. Robocalls allow telemarketers, political campaigners, and government authorities to reach target audiences within a short period of time. Robocalls can include entire prerecorded messages or some prerecorded messages which will later connect to live operators. Although robocalls have several useful purposes, many instances of robocalls are spam calls made by ill-intentioned persons looking to fleece unsuspecting citizens.
Scammers use robocalls to initiate spam calls to Dutchess County residents in order to lure them into releasing personal information that may be later used for fraudulent acts. A phone lookup service can help determine if an incoming call is a robocall.
Other steps to take to stop robocalls include:
- Do not answer calls from unknown numbers
- Hang up on robocalls. If you answer a call and you hear a recorded message, hang up immediately. Do not press any buttons; it will only lead to more unsolicited calls.
- Block unsolicited calls using your default phone's settings. Both Android and iOS devices have settings that allow users to block phone numbers and tag certain numbers as spam.
- Download and install a third-party call-blocking application such as Nomorobo, YouMail, Truecaller, and Hiya.
- Report robocalls to the FTC online or call (888) 382-1222.
- File robocall complaints online with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
How to Spot and Report Dutchess County Phone Scams?
Scammers are always finding new ways to steal your money and personal information by exploiting your fears. The most effective way to defeat scammers is to know how to identify scams and to ignore suspicious calls. While reverse phone searches can help identify scam calls in many cases, advancements in technology now allow callers to falsify the caller IDs on your display, making it more difficult to stop unwanted calls. Hence, being aware of the tricks and deceptive acts used by scammers can help you spot phone scams more easily.
Here are some tell-tale signs of phone scams:
- The caller pretends to be from an organization you know, such as your local police department and business, and asks for your private information.
- The caller says there is a problem with an account that you hold but requires some personal information from you such as Social Security number and passwords to verify that you are the true owner.
- The caller pressures you to act immediately. The scammer wants you to act before you have time to think or talk with a family member or speak with local law enforcement. The caller may ask you not to hang up so that you cannot check out their story.
- The caller threatens to arrest you, sue you, take away your business license or driver's license, or terminate your employment.
- The caller demands that you pay in a specific way. Scammers often demand payment by wire transfers, prepaid debit cards, gift cards, cash by mail, or cryptocurrencies
- The caller asks you to invest a small amount in a scheme that will bring huge returns.
You can file complaints with any of the following public bodies if you have been contacted by a scammer:
- The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and other local police departments: If you have fallen victim to a phone scam in Dutchess County, you may contact the county sheriff's office at (845) 846-3800 or your local police department. To report a scam to the police in the county seat of Poughkeepsie, contact the Poughkeepsie Police Department at (845) 451-4000.
- The New York State Department of Health and Human Services: If you have fallen victim to Medicare fraud, you can file a report to the Office of Investigation, Department of Health Human Service by calling (877) 696-6775
- New York Attorney General: Law enforcement actions are taken by the Attorney General to protect the public against deceptive acts such as phone scams. If you have fallen victim to a phone scam in Orange County, you can contact the Office of the Attorney General by filing a complaint online.
- 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.The United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TITGA): If you have been contacted by an IRS scammer, contact TITGA by calling the office at (800) 366-4484.