What are Johnson County Area Codes?
An area code is a three-digit numeric code at the beginning of every phone number in America. Area codes exist to differentiate each Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in North America and were established in 1947 by the North American Numbering Plan to aid long-distance phone calls. The Iowa Utilities Board has the responsibility of implementing and managing area codes in Iowa.
Johnson County currently utilizes only one area code.
Area Code 319
Area code 319 was instituted and officially set into service in January 1947. In 2001, area code 563 was split from 319. In Johnson County, area code 319 covers Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Fort Madison, Cedar Falls, Iowa City, Keokuk, Marion, and Waterloo.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Johnson County?
As revealed by a survey conducted by the National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS) in 2018, an estimated 61.3% of Iowan adults used wireless-only telephony services. Only about 3.8% of them were sole landline users. Conversely, Iowan children under 18 years who had adopted wireless-only telephony services were estimated to be 73.1%, compared to only 2.6% of the demographic who used landline phones exclusively. The statistics show that wireless-only telephony services are preferred to landlines in Johnson County.
AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon are the phone carriers providing Johnson County residents with the best cell phone plans. In the City of Marion, i-wireless ranks as the best network provider, with a coverage score of 96%. Verizon follows closely with a coverage score of 94%. AT&T ranks third with a coverage score of 74%, while Sprint has the least network coverage of 70%.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provides an alternative telephone communication medium for Johnson County residents. VoIP facilitates phone calls using broadband internet connections rather than regular phone lines. Residents can use VoIP on specialized VoIP phones, landline telephones connected to a special adapter, or computers. With VoIP technology, users can call phone numbers located in different area codes other than theirs. Some features of VoIP are instrumental to phone scammers’ fraudulent activities in Johnson County.
What are Johnson County Phone Scams?
Johnson County phone scams are calls, text messages, or robocalls made to county residents to illegally obtain money, personal identity information, or financial information. Such information is usually used to commit identity and financial theft. Phone scammers often spoof their targets’ Caller IDs and impersonate as representatives of reputable organizations.
Some public agencies prevent residents from phone scams in the county through phone scam awareness and education. Residents can use reverse phone lookup services to pinpoint the real identities of phone scammers. Some of the phone scams prevalent in Johnson county are:
What are Johnson County Grandparent Scams?
Scammers defraud elderly Johnson County residents by claiming to be their grandchild in distress. The scammers fake emergency critical situations such as accidents, medical emergencies, police arrests, and detention to scare grandparents and extort money from them. To make the call more convincing, scammers may start the phone call with a voice suggesting fear, posing as grandchildren, and then hand over the phone to other persons who impersonate law enforcement officers or attorneys. The supposed officers or attorneys then request money to remedy the alleged emergencies.
These scammers usually gather information about their targets on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. According to a publication released by the Attorney General of Iowa, it is vital to verify these types of claims regardless of how urgent they seem. Tracing and recovering the money lost from such transactions is challenging because most of these scammers are overseas. Anyone who suspects a grandparent scam may file an official complaint with their local law enforcement. Residents can leverage services offering free phone number lookup by name to ascertain the identities of these callers and avoid scams.
What are Johnson County Student Loan Relief Scams?
Fraudsters call students who are in debt to offer loan payment assistance with the intent to defraud them. These scammers often camouflage as officials of the United States Department of Education or other reputable agencies. They will request information such as the targets’ education PIN and Social Security Numbers and then use such information for identity and financial theft.
The Attorney General of Iowa advises residents to be wary of scammers who offer students loan relief. These scammers charge a service fee upfront. Typically, students who fall victim to this scam do not realize it until some time has passed. Students who are familiar with free reverse phone lookup services and use them frequently can identify these scams and avoid them.
As recommended by the Attorney General, student debtors should contact their loan providers to obtain valid information on the available options for loan consolidation. The Federal Student Aid provides additional information on the available plans for loan repayment and debtors assistance.
What are Johnson County IRS Impersonation Scams?
In IRS impersonation scams, scammers call Johnson County and request immediate tax payments. They pose as representatives of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and may spoof targets’ Caller IDs to appear like legitimate calls from the IRS. These scammers often demand payments via specific methods such as wire transfers, gift cards, and cryptocurrencies. Their targets are usually vulnerable residents such as aged persons, new residents, and non-English immigrants. Targets who refuse their advances often receive threats of legal actions such as arrest, license revocation, and deportation.
The IRS provides taxpayers with vital information and recommendations on identifying potential IRS scams and the appropriate responses. In a Press Release, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) emphasized that the IRS notify residents about unpaid taxes by mail and not over the phone. The IRS does not request credit cards or bank information to complete tax payments. If you suspect an IRS scam over the phone, contact the IRS directly on their official phone numbers for verifications. Victims of IRS Impersonation scams in Johnson County can file complaints online with the TIGTA. Reverse phone lookup services can assist scam targets in finding out the real identities of these scammers.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated phone calls programmed to convey pre-recorded messages to multiple recipients. They are primarily used for political campaigns, telemarketing sales, and other public service announcements. Robocallers may get feedback from recipients by receiving user inputs in response to specific preset instructions and available options. According to the FTC, certain robocalls do not require prior permission from the recipients. Some of these robocalls include informative calls such as flight cancellations, appointment reminders, and debt repayment reminders. However, scammers leverage the features of robocalls to carry out fraudulent activities over the phone.
Spam calls are unwanted phone calls sent to multiple recipients without prior permission. These calls are mostly irrelevant. Scammers trick targets into releasing money or disclosing confidential information that may be used for fraud or theft via robocalls and spam calls. A 2019 annual report revealed that the FTC received about 5.4 million complaints on unwanted calls that year. The report also noted that over 70% of such spam calls were robocalls. Johnson County residents can use reverse cell phone lookup services to identify robocalls and take decisive actions to prevent robocalls scams.
To minimize the frequency of robocalls and avoid robocall scams, the best responses include:
- Do not pick calls you suspect to be robocalls. Most robocalls manipulate the recipients such that they may not realize the point at which they disclose sensitive information. Robocalls usually offer to transfer recipients to live representatives. Do not grant such requests as they often lead to more robocalls.
- Block unwanted calls by using apps with call-blocking features. You can get such apps from app marketplaces such as Play Store for Android users and App Store for Apple users.
- Enlist your phone number on the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry. The registry helps minimize the chances of robocall scams by limiting the number of robocalls received by registered phone numbers.
- Report cases of robocall scams to the Iowa Department of Justice.
- Verify the authenticity of phone numbers using phone number lookup services. A suspicious phone number lookup application can help you spot an illegal robocall.
How Can You Spot and Report Johnson County Phone Scams?
Johnson County residents are advised to arm themselves with up-to-date information about the trending phone scams. Such information is usually released as scam alerts by relevant public agencies. They help residents to recognize potential phone scams and figure out the necessary steps to take to avoid getting victimized. Some indicators that a phone call is a scam call are:
- Phone calls requesting urgent payments via unofficial channels are potential scam calls.
- The use of aggression and threats such as arrest, detention, deportation, license revocation, and other legal actions indicate that a call is most likely from scammers.
- Manipulative requests for confidential information such as debit or credit card details and Social Security Numbers over phone calls are signs of a phone scam. Scammers seek such information to defraud the call recipients of money or commit identity theft. Note that legitimate organizations do not make such requests in unsolicited phone calls.
- Scammers alter their caller ID to impersonate reputable sources. To help verify the authenticity of phone numbers, conduct a phone number lookup by name to answer the question "who is this number registered to?"
In Johnson County, institutions and law enforcement agencies that provide information and assistance to residents regarding phones scams include:
Iowa Office of the Attorney General - The Attorney General’s Office provides timely information to residents on the latest phone scams and how to avoid them. Any resident who has fallen victim to a phone scam can file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division. They may also officially contact the Attorney General's Offices for reports and inquiries.
Better Business Bureau - The Bureau provides valuable information on legitimate and registered businesses in Johnson County. By identifying BBB accredited businesses, individuals may figure out fraudulent businesses. The BBB also provides a scam tracking portal where residents may report fraudulent activities.
Federal Communications Commission - The FCC keeps residents informed about the latest scams prevalent in the county. Phone scam victims can file complaints via the FCC's Consumer Complaint Center.
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC allows phone scam targets or victims to send reports or complaints via their online portal. Although the Do Not Call Registry may not prevent all scam calls, it assists residents in reducing the frequency of robocalls.