What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Fulton County?
The North American Numbering Plan established area codes to simplify long-distance calling. Area codes identify specific numbering plan areas (NPAs) in a state and facilitate the routing of phone calls. The Georgia State Public Service Commission administers area codes for Fulton County.
Currently, four area codes cover Fulton County. These area codes also cover portions of several neighboring counties. These are:
Area Code 404
Area code 404 of the NANP designates the NPA that covers the City of Atlanta. It is one of the original area codes established in 1947, initially covering all of Georgia. It also extends over parts of Clayton and DeKalb counties.
Area Code 770
The NPA designated by area code 770 includes most suburban parts of the Atlanta metro area. It surrounds the 404 NPA and also includes parts of several other counties. Other cities in Fulton County that are part of this NPA include Alpharetta, Fairburn, Johns Creek, Palmetto, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Union City.
Area Code 678
Area code 678 is a telephone area code that overlays the NPAs identified by area codes 404 and 770. This includes the entire area of metropolitan Atlanta. It became active in 1998.
Area Code 470
Area code 470 is the second telephone overlay code for the metropolitan Atlanta area and covers the same locations as 404 and 770 NPAs. It became active in 2010.
Recent data shows that landlines are no longer the obvious choice for telephony services in the U.S. A 2018 National Health Interview Survey indicated that cell phones had become the preferred means of telecommunication in Georgia. Adults in the state preferred cell phones to landlines with 59% of them choosing wireless phone services while only 3.5% of them used landlines exclusively. These numbers suggest wireless telephony services are the dominant phone option among the residents of Fulton County.
Atlanta, which covers a large portion of Fulton County, is renowned as a commercial and cultural hub. Consequently, coverage throughout the county is reliable from all four major phone carriers. All four carriers boast excellent coverage in the cities with AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, claiming 100% and Sprint following closely with 99.9%. Coverage is less reliable at the outskirts of the cities in the county and can be tricky in crowded areas. Numerous Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) use the major operators’ infrastructure to provide affordable phone services to Fulton County residents.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provides telephony services using IP networks, especially the internet, and is an attractive option to landlines and wireless telephones. Several Fulton County businesses offer a range of VoIP services to satisfy the telecommunication needs of residents, SMEs, and large corporations.
What are Fulton County Phone Scams?
Scams are duplicitous actions of fraudulent characters attempting to steal money, financial information, or identity details from unsuspecting targets. Phone scammers call their targets and try to trick them to release payments and confidential information. Reverse phone number lookup services that answer questions like “who is this number registered to?” can help provide information on the identities of phone scammers.
The Office of the Georgia Attorney General provides information and tips on common scams recorded in the state. Residents who have been victims of these scams can file complaints with the Consumer Protection Division of the A.G’s Office. Fulton County residents can also file complaints with the Fulton County District Attorney, the Fulton County Sheriff, their local police departments, and the FTC.
What are Social Security Number Scams?
Callers contact county residents while impersonating government officials. They inform their targets that during criminal investigations, agents discovered the victims’ social security numbers had been stolen and used to launder money. They convince their victims that by using the compromised SSNs, they risk fines, arrests, and prosecutions. They then inform the victims that for a fee, they can provide new SSNs and rectify damages. The callers request the money in wire transfers or preloaded prepaid debit cards. They might ask for the victims’ credit or debit card information.
Acceding to the requests of these callers leads to financial losses and even identity theft. Any money paid to the scammers with these methods is lost, and if the victim provided financial information, the scammers have access to their accounts. Some scammers spoof the names and numbers of government agencies to convince their victims of the authenticity of their claims. If you receive such calls, hang up, call the referenced government agency using its official number and seek confirmation. Reverse phone number searches can help determine if the unknown caller used a spoofed official number. Report Social Security scams to the Office of the Inspector General.
What are Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams?
These types of scams are perpetrated by scammers impersonating lottery and sweepstake companies. Residents receive notifications in the mail informing them of lottery or sweepstakes winnings and included in the notification mails are checks. The letters will provide phone numbers for the victims to call before cashing the checks. When the targets call these numbers, they are told the checks are to pay for non-resident taxes due on the winnings. The scammers instruct the targets to deposit the checks in their accounts and wire the excess cash back. They tell the targets that this is so the taxes are paid in their names. The targets are then informed they will receive certified checks for the sweepstakes winnings.
The targets never receive any certified checks, and the banks later discover that the checks they deposited were fakes. The victims are now liable for the entire amounts on deposited checks and may face criminal charges. Residents should be aware that legitimate sweepstakes and lotteries do not ask for payments for taxes and fees on winnings. Phone search services can identify if phone numbers belong to authentic lottery organizations. Residents who have been victims of these scams can file reports with the Georgia Attorney General Office or their local police departments.
What are Tech Support Scams?
In these scams, callers contact residents and claim to be technical support agents of reputable computer technology businesses performing routine checks. The callers try to convince their targets to grant them remote access to their computers. Once the scammers have access, they install viruses that cause problems on the computers and then charge exorbitant fees to remove the malware. Alternatively, they install malware to steal confidential information from the computers.
Authorities warn residents never to provide remote access to their devices to strangers. Computer technology firms do not perform such routine checks and will not call and ask for remote access to customers’ devices. Reverse phone number lookups can verify if the phone numbers belong to legitimate computer firms. If you receive such calls, end it and call the computer firms in question to verify the callers’ claims.
What are Tax Scams?
Residents are warned of scam calls from persons pretending to be Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees. These scams are widespread during the tax season. Targets are contacted by scammers trying to obtain financial and identity information from them. The scammers give all types of reasons for requiring the information. These include helping the targets pay their taxes over the phone, verifications for refund checks to be issued, and unpaid taxes. The callers need these details to verify identities, complete filing processes, or settle outstanding debts.
Residents should be wary of unknown callers requesting their private information. The IRS does not typically contact consumers over the phone, without having sent several written correspondences. The IRS will also not request for taxpayers’ private information over unsolicited phone calls as they already have those details. Reverse phone lookup applications can help authenticate these calls or alert the receivers that numbers shown on Caller IDs may be spoofed. Victims of tax scams can file reports with the IRS or the Treasury Inspector General on 1 (800) 366-4484.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Originally the tools of political and telemarketing campaigns and government agencies, robocalls have also been co-opted by phone scammers. Robocalls deliver pre-recorded messages to multiple recipients using automated call procedures. The ability to reach numerous consumers while remaining anonymous is what endeared robocalls to phone scammers. Due to the proliferation of robocalls, especially around specific periods, residents are less vigilant when answering them.
Scammers use robocalls to obtain financial and identity information from their victims fraudulently. A reverse phone lookup free service can identify incoming robocalls and provide the receiver the option of rejecting the call. Some tips on dealing with robocalls include:
- Hang up once you confirm a call is a robocall. Ignore the message prompts given during the call. These lead to more automated messages and mark your phone number for more robocalls.
- Submit a complaint to the FTC. This is done online or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Phone numbers included on this register are exempt from receiving commercial robocalls. After doing this, if you still receive robocalls, these are likely scam calls.
- Telephone service providers have implemented tools and procedures for blocking phone numbers. Ask about these services from your carrier and use them if they are convenient.
- Phone number lookup services can identify robocalls. Use these services to identify and block robocall numbers.
Consumer guidelines on blocking unwanted calls are available on the FTC website.
How to Spot and Report Fulton County Phone Scams?
If you receive a call from a suspicious phone number, lookup services that perform number searches can answer the question “who called me?” Residents must stay alert and keep abreast of the tactics employed by phone scammers. Scammers are continuously developing new ways to defraud residents, and these are the most proven ways of dealing with their schemes. Some signs that point to a potential phone scam include:
- The caller presents an offer or product that is supposedly free. This can include prize winnings, a gift, product, or service. However, to receive this free offer, you must make a financial commitment to pay for taxes and processing. An offer that is advertised as free, but requires a fee to collect is mostly likely a scam.
- The caller makes repeated requests for confidential information. This could be personal information such as social security numbers, dates of birth, or financial information like credit card and banking details. Real government agencies and organizations do not request such information on unsolicited phone calls.
- The caller will not (or cannot) answer all questions you have regarding their claims. They actively prevent you from seeking verification from third parties, usually claiming the matter or offer is time-sensitive.
- The caller uses aggressive tactics to coerce you to comply. These include threats of audits, fines, lawsuits, deportations, arrests, and prosecution. Legitimate entities will not resort to threats over the phone to obtain compliance.
- The caller claims to represent a reputable organization or government agency but requests payment by an irregular method. These methods include wire transfers, reloadable prepaid cards, gift cards, or cryptocurrency. Methods such as these are untraceable, and funds are almost always irretrievable. Legitimate entities will never request such payment methods.
Applications that perform reverse phone lookups by name, address, and number reveal information about the persons behind unknown phone calls and identify phone scammers. Free and paid versions of these applications are available online.
Public agencies that assist Fulton County residents in dealing with phone scammers include:
Georgia State Attorney General - The Consumer Protection Division of the A.G’s Office educates residents about the schemes employed by scammers. Victims of scams should file reports with the Attorney General’s Office.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Fulton County Sheriff and the other local police departments in the county, assist residents in dealing with fraudulent schemes. Victims of scams should file reports with their local law enforcement agencies.
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC combats deceptive and fraudulent practices against consumers. The National Do Not Call Registry is an initiative to help combat illegal calls. Numbers included in the DNCR are excluded from receiving robocalls. If you still receive robocalls after registering on this list, these are likely scam calls. Victims of fraudulent practices can file reports with the FTC.
Federal Communication Commission - The FCC regulates communication in the U.S. at the national level. It also develops policies to protect consumers from illegal robocalls and phone spoofing scams. Consumer guidelines to avoid unwanted robocalls and phone scams are on the FCC’s website. Victims of these offenses can file complaints with the FCC.