What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Paulding County?
An area code is a three-digit telephone number prefix that identifies a specific geographical area, particularly when placing a call between different areas. The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) divides every geographical area into Numbering Plan Areas (NPA), each having an area code. Due to the exhaustion of the previous area codes, some geographical areas are assigned multiple area codes. For the ease of identifying area codes, residents can utilize reverse phone number lookup services to conduct area code lookups.
Area Code 770
Area code 770 serves northern Georgia, including most of Atlanta’s suburbs. It was created in 1995 as a split from area code 404, which initially served all of Georgia. This area code is overlaid by both area code 678 and 470. Some cities and counties covered by area code 770 include Newton, Pike, Rockdale, Walton, Spalding, etc.
There are three major cell phone carriers with the best network coverage in Paulding County, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Verizon is reported to have the best network coverage with 98%, followed by T-Mobile with 86%, and the least coverage is AT&T with 80%. However, factors such as harsh weather, population density, etc., can negatively affect the network quality.
The 2018 National Center of Health Statistics survey shows that wireless telephones are preferred to landlines by both adults and minors. This survey shows that 59% of the Georgia adult population used wireless telephones only, while 3.5% of the Georgia adult population used landlines only. On the other hand, 69.2% of minors in Georgia used wireless telephone services only, while 2.7% of minors in Georgia used landlines only.
VoIP is also known as Voice over Internet Protocol. It is gradually gaining recognition in Paulding County. VoIP is an advanced telephony technology utilized by both individuals and businesses to deliver voice and multimedia communications through internet broadband connections. VoIP is cost-effective and flexible, supporting both local and unlimited international calls at cheap rates. It offers advanced features that are not available with traditional telephony services. Some of these advanced features are call monitoring and recording, audio and video conferencing name dialing, call forwarding/voicemail, call waiting, call screening and auto answering rules, visual voicemail, DND (Do Not Disturb), auto line attendants, etc.
What are Paulding County Phone Scams?
Paulding County phone scams are targeted at residents of different age groups to steal money from them and their personal information to commit identity fraud. These they do through telephone conversations. Scammers adopt diverse methods and tactics to defraud residents and even take advantage of technological advancements such as robocalls and Caller ID spoofing, which are affordable and easy to use. Robocalls enable scammers to send unsolicited pre-recorded messages to residents, while Caller ID spoofing helps scammers hide their Caller IDs and copy those they wish to impersonate. Residents can utilize reverse cell phone lookup applications to conduct phone number lookups—this aids in identifying fraudsters.
Considering how rampant scams have become, the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office, Georgia, creates awareness on how to recognize scams and avoid them. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also helps create awareness to combat illegal Caller ID spoofing and educate people on how to recognize and block unwanted calls.
Phone scams that are prevalent in Paulding County include:
What are Paulding County Arrest Warrant Scams?
An arrest warrant scam occurs when a fraudster disguises himself as a Paulding County Sheriff’s Office personnel. The fraudster informs the recipient of a supposed arrest warrant in their name and demands that payment be made to have such a warrant dismissed. Payment is usually demanded through a prepaid card like MoneyPak and Green Dot or even gift cards. The Paulding County Sheriff's Office warns residents that the Sheriff’s Office never contacts anyone over the phone for arrest warrants. The Sheriff’s Office will also not demand payment for such.
Anyone contacted concerning an arrest warrant and supposed payment should hang up such calls immediately and make no payment. Victims can report this scam to the Paulding County Sheriff's office by calling 770-445-2117. It is also important for residents to note that scammers often spoof the Caller ID of the Sheriff’s Office to make these calls. However, residents can conduct phone number lookups free using the reverse phone number lookup application to identify these scammers.
What are Paulding County Elder Scams?
Elder scams are scams perpetrated to steal the hard-earned money of senior citizens. Here, a scammer pretends to be the recipient’s grandchild or other relatives in some form of emergency. The scammer informs the recipient in a panic-stricken manner that they are in trouble and in dire need of financial assistance. They request that the requested money is paid via wire transfer, gift cards, or cash deposit to addresses that can not be traced. Most times, these scammers inform residents that the call is confidential and there should be no disclosure of the conversation to a third party. Most of these scammers appear very convincing as they have certain details of the supposed relative and spoof their Caller IDs.
Residents should be wary of this tactic and avoid disclosing personal and financial information such as date of birth, account details, social security number, etc. Residents should never be in haste to make payment. They should instead conduct proper investigation and verification of claims. Residents can use reverse phone number lookup tools to answer the question “who called me?”. These scams can be reported to the FTC’s complaint assistant online or by calling 877-FTC-HELP.
What are Paulding County IRS Scams?
IRS scams are scams targeted at tax-paying residents. They are prevalent during tax seasons. In these scams, scammers impersonate Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officials with claims that the recipients owe taxes. Payment for supposed taxes owed is demanded through prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, gift cards, etc. These scammers threaten taxpayers, especially immigrants, with deportation, arrest, and revocation of license.
Scammers disguise themselves by spoofing the Caller IDs of legitimate IRS officials and even go as far as adopting fake names and IRS badge numbers. They are usually able to provide information such as the last four digits of the recipient’s social security number. Residents should understand that even when the phone number calling has the semblance of the IRS toll-free number, it not always be trusted as it could have been spoofed. Also, the IRS will never demand payment through any unconventional means. Residents are advised never to disclose personal and financial information. They should utilize free phone number lookup tools to identify scammers.
If you know or think you owe the IRS, contact the IRS on 1 (800) 829-1040. Residents who have been scammed or do not owe the IRS can contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) online or on the phone at 1 (800) 366-4484. The complaint should include details of the calls, such as the date and time of the call, a brief explanation of the conversation, etc.
What are Paulding County Utility Scams?
Utility scams are scams where fraudsters pose as utility company workers, requesting payment of bills owed. Scammers here pretend to be representatives either from the electric or gas company, issuing threats to cut off residents for non-payment. Immediate payment of the so-called debts owed is demanded via gift cards, Green Dot, MoneyPak prepaid cards, etc. Individuals who receive calls of this nature can conduct suspicious phone number lookups with free reverse phone number lookup tools to identify who called.
Residents should be wary of such calls and be informed that legitimate utility companies will never call to ask for bank details or credit card information. Residents should not trust their Caller IDs as scammers may spoof legitimate utility companies’ Caller IDs. Residents who truly have unpaid bills should hang up the call immediately without providing any information or making any payment. They should immediately call the number on the utility bill to confirm the claim.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are pre-programmed calls that make use of auto-dialers to deliver pre-recorded messages. These messages are usually delivered in bulk for emergency announcements or to create awareness. However, robocalls can be either legal or illegal. For the regulation of robocalls, the Federal Communicationations Commission (FCC) enacted the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991. Pursuant to this, the wilful permission of residents must be obtained before a robocall can be sent. Consequently, robocalls sent without recipients’ consent are illegal and can be reported. Notwithstanding the above, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allows certain robocalls without any prior consent, and they are:
- Robocalls from political parties
- Debt collection robocalls
- Robocalls by legitimate health institutions
- Robocalls by charitable organizations
- Strictly informational robocalls
Con artists use robocalls illegally to steal residents’ personal information and send unsolicited adverts and services. Most times, robocalls include instructions where recipients are asked to press numbers to stop receiving the robocalls or to speak to live agents, but this only results in more robocalls. Spam calls, like robocalls, are sent in bulk to deliver irrelevant messages to individuals. Unlike robocalls, they mostly constitute a nuisance and disturb the recipients rather than defraud them.
As a preventive measure to avoid robocall scams, do not pick robocalls and if you mistakenly do, take the following steps:
- Hang up immediately.
- Block the phone number with the in-built call-blocking app on your phone or use the options provided by your cell phone service provider. You can also block the phone number using a reverse phone lookup tool.
- Do not follow the robocall’s prompts for any reason.
- Report the unsolicited robocall to the FTC through the online complaint assistant portal or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
- Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry to limit robocalls. Unsolicited robocalls can be reported 31 days after registration on the list.
How to Spot and Report Paulding County Phone Scams?
Residents are required to be observant and vigilant to avoid falling victim to phone scams, especially because of the existence of telephony technologies that scammers exploit. Although scammers adopt dynamic approaches for various scams, there are red flags that residents should look out for. These red flags will serve as pointers to potential scams. They include:
- The caller speaks with a sense of urgency, demanding immediate payment, reimbursement, or refund.
- The caller uses scare tactics, like informing you that a loved one is in danger, etc. The caller may also try to appeal to the emotions of the recipient with unverifiable claims.
- The caller offers assistance to retrieve money lost to a scam for a fee.
- The caller demands payment through MoneyGram, Western Union, gift cards, prepaid cards, bitcoins, or cash. No legitimate organization will demand payment over the phone. Tracing and retrieving such payments is almost impossible.
- The caller demands payment of a fee for lotteries or prizes won.
- The caller issues threats of arrest, deportation, license revocation, etc., for non-payment or non-compliance.
- The caller requires the disclosure of financial or personal information, e.g., social security number, account details, mother’s maiden name, password, date of birth, etc. Residents are advised against disclosing such sensitive information. They instead should contact the organization to confirm such claims.
- An unknown caller calls, demanding that the call be kept confidential. Residents are advised to maximize the use of reverse phone number lookup tools to answer the question “who is this number registered to?” and “who called me?”
- The caller persuades the caller to invest or engage in businesses that are too good to be true.
Residents that fall victim to scams or notice certain red flags during calls can report them to these government agencies:
Paulding County Sheriff’s Office - If you receive scam phone calls, especially as regards arrest warrants, file complaints to the Sheriff’s Office by calling (770) 443-3010 or 911 in the case of an emergency. The report can also be made in person at:
180 Constitution Boulevard
Dallas, GA 30132
Georgia Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office - Victims of scams or suspected scams can be reported by filling the online consumer complaint form or by calling 404-651-8600.
Federal Trade Commission - If you are a victim of illegal Caller ID spoofing, illegal robocalls, spam calls, unsolicited telemarketing, identity theft, and any other scams, report using the FTC’s online consumer complaint assistant. You can also report by calling 877-FTC-HELP or 877-ID-THEFT.
Federal Communications Commission - Victims of Caller ID spoofing scams, illegal robocalls, and other phone scams can report to the FCC by completing the FCC’s online complaint form.
Federal Bureau of Investigation - Criminal matters and general fraud can be reported by calling (202) 324-3000.