What are the Municipality of Anchorage Area Codes?
Area codes are the string of three-digit numbers at the beginning of North American telephone numbers and identify specific telephone service areas called Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs). They were established by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) to distinguish the different NPAs in a state. Area codes help to identify the origins and destinations of phone calls and are assigned to territories as the need for more telephone numbers increases. Interested persons can use websites that offer area code lookup services to find prime locations in the Municipality of Anchorage by entering the city's area code (907).
Area Code 907
Area code 907 was put into service in 1957, and it is the NPA serving all of Alaska, including the Municipality of Anchorage.
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) manages the area code in Alaska.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in the Municipality of Anchorage?
Wireless telephony services penetration in Alaska is relatively high, and it is more evident among the children population (below 18 years). A 2018 National Health Interview Survey conducted for the state's residents confirmed this. Data from this survey indicated that adults in Alaska households who used landlines as their only form of telecommunication made up 5.8% of the population. Those who had adopted wireless services only made up 57.6%. Among the children demographic, 71.6% used wireless services exclusively, while 2.0% used only landlines. The data from the Alaska reports suggest a similar trend in the Municipality of Anchorage.
The high penetration of smartphones in the Municipality of Anchorage and their uses for services other than text and voice is the primary reason for the widespread adoption of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in the municipality. VoIP delivers telephony services over IP networks, especially broadband internet, rather than copper wires and radio waves as obtainable in traditional phone systems. It offers telephone services for business and residential uses that are more efficient and flexible than standard phone services at more affordable rates.
Besides AT&T, the presence of the other three major national carriers in the Municipality of Anchorage is not strongly felt in terms of network coverage. AT&T has the best network spread at 100%, while GCI has a coverage of 86%. Although T-Mobile and Sprint primary networks are not available in the Municipality of Anchorage, they have roaming agreements with GCI.
What are the Municipality of Anchorage County Phone Scams?
Phone scams in the Municipality of Anchorage are deceptive acts committed against the residents of the municipality using telephone services. Phone scams aim to unlawfully obtain residents' confidential information and steal their money. Phone scammers use any information gleaned from phone scam victims for identity and financial theft. In many cases, fraudsters spoof their targets' Caller IDs to display phone numbers of familiar legitimate entities to fool residents and extort them. However, applications that offer reverse phone lookup services can identify spoofed calls. They can also uncover the real identities of phone scammers. Telephone services used in perpetrating phone scams in the Municipality of Anchorage include live phone calls, text messages, and robocalls.
The Consumer Protection Unit of the Alaska Attorney General's Office is primarily responsible for protecting residents from deceptive business practices, including phone scams. The Anchorage Police Department (APD) maintains law and order in the Municipality of Anchorage. It is making frantic efforts to rid the municipality of crimes, including phone scams. Common phone scams in the Municipality of Anchorage include:
What are Mortgage Relief Scams?
Beware of unknown persons who offer to assist you in getting relief from foreclosure. In this scam, phone scammers pretend to be affiliated with government housing programs and prey on the Municipality of Anchorage residents. Homeowners who are experiencing financial hardships are their primary targets. When they call, the scammers will falsely claim that they can negotiate with their marks' mortgage lenders to restructure their loans and obtain easy repayment plans. However, they will offer to do this for a fee that must be paid upfront. They will fool their targets into believing they can stop the foreclosure process. In some cases, they will convince unsuspecting residents to transfer their house titles to foreclosure rescuers, so they can stay in those houses as tenants and buy such homes later. The scammers will even inform their targets not to contact their lawyers or lenders about such arrangements. In most instances, "rescuers" end up evicting the victims out of the properties.
To prevent residents from falling victim to mortgage relief scams, the Alaska Attorney General's Office warns them to be wary of persons who request upfront fees for loan modifications. The Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule prohibits loan modifications services and foreclosure rescue from charging upfront fees. Any homeowner in the Municipality of Anchorage who gets this type of call can use websites that offer reverse phone lookup free services to identify such a caller and report to local law enforcement. Typically, per the MARS rule, firms that engage in loan modifications must disclose that they are not affiliated with government programs when they call.
What are Social Security Scams?
Phone scammers are pretending to be from the Social Security Administration (SSA) extort the residents of the Municipality of Anchorage. Phone number search applications can return information on such callers, reveal their real identities, and prevent residents from falling prey to scams. Typically, the callers spoof their targets' Caller IDs to display the SSA's official phone numbers and try to get them to share social security numbers or send money. They may inform their marks that their social security numbers (SSNs) have been suspended because they were used for some criminal activities or suspicious activities. The scammers will then ask their marks to confirm their SSNs for reactivation. They may also inform their targets that their bank accounts are about to be seized and must provide some information to keep their money safe. These are ploys to get their targets to reveal confidential information and then commit identity and financial theft.
The SSA warns residents never to trust their Caller ID information even if it displays the SSAs official numbers. The residents of the Municipality of Anchorage must know that the SSA does not suspend SSNs or seize bank accounts. There are also instances where these callers will threaten targets' benefits associated with SSNs and demand that they wire money or put money on gift cards to resolve social security number-related issues. Note that the SSA does not solicit money over the phone and will not threaten you. Never share confidential information with anyone over the phone to avoid identity loss.
What are Tax Debts Relief Scams?
Be wary of unknown callers who claim that you are qualified for an IRS program and offer to resolve your back tax debts. The only agency that determines taxpayers' eligibility for such programs is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In this scam, the callers use deceptive tactics and false promises to take advantage of Municipality of Anchorage residents who desperately need help resolving their back taxes. They often pretend to be representatives of familiar companies or law firms to promise tax debt relief. Typically, the scammers will inform their targets that they can stop the IRS collection activity and resolve all their lingering IRS issues at a fee that must be paid upfront. Their preferred medium of receiving payment is wire transfers. They will request the same documents via email repeatedly while pretending to be in contact with the IRS. After some time, the fraudsters will inform their victims that they no longer qualify for tax debt relief or claim that the IRS rejected their applications. However, the advance fee paid by victims will not be refunded. In some cases, the scammers will no longer be reachable via any means by their victims.
The Alaska Attorney General's Office warns residents not to trust any company or law firm's claim that they are eligible for tax debt relief. If you receive a call with such a claim, hang up and contact the IRS at 1 (800) 366-4484 for verification. Also, be cautious about services that request upfront fees as they are mostly scams. Services that provide phone numbers look up can retrieve the identities of these scammers and help you avoid tax debt relief scams.
What are Extended Auto Warranty Scams?
Phone scammers are making telephone solicitations for extended auto warranties to residents of the Municipality of Anchorage. They mostly call their targets during odd hours with phone numbers that do not identify any business or work on attempts to call them back. Applications that offer reverse phone number lookup services can retrieve identifying information on such callers, including their addresses. The fraudsters will claim that their marks' auto warranties are about to expire and then offer extensions that are seemingly available for a limited time at a fee. They favor payment by gift cards and wire transfers.
Residents should note that auto warranties come with new vehicles at no additional cost. There is not a thing as a warranty extension. Vehicle owners can only purchase extended service contracts, not actual warranties extension. However, if you decide to buy an extended service contract, make sure to understand all terms and conditions before making payments. Never make such payments over the phone or pay via unconventional channels. You can review the FTC's guide on auto service contracts and warranties before purchasing an auto service contract. The guide can also prevent residents from falling victim to extended auto warranty scams.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are phone calls facilitated by auto-dialers that deliver pre-recorded messages. Auto-dialers are computer programs designed to dial mass phone numbers at the same time and pass the same information. Robocalls are a type of spam call that are generally unwanted calls placed to random phone numbers. Telemarketers use robocalls to communicate to mass audiences, while political campaign groups in the Municipality of Anchorage use them for reaching out to voters during elections. Similarly, robocalls are useful tools used by the government for making public announcements. These are all legitimate uses of robocalls.
Using robocalls requires very minimal human involvement, and they are cheap, which is why they are scammers' favorite. Also, phone scammers can easily manipulate robocalls to display any phone numbers they want on their targets' Caller IDs in a process known as phone spoofing. This is why it is easy for fraudsters to impersonate legitimate entities and defraud their targets. Doing a reverse number lookup can help determine if a call is spoofed and prevent you from falling prey to phone scammers. To avoid falling victim to illegal robocalls, your best options are:
- End phone calls once you identify them as robocalls. Never be deceived into following any prompts to speak with live operators or remove yourself from callers’ lists. Doing this confirms your number is active and identifies it for more robocalls.
- Use the FTC online complaint assistant or call 1 (888) 382-1222 to report illegal robocalls.
- Ask your phone carriers for services that identify and block spam calls and use them to block unwanted calls if they are affordable. You can also use the in-built call-blocking features on your phone to identify spam call numbers and block calls from them.
- Install and use third-party applications that identify and block spam callers.
- Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry. Legitimate telemarketers are prohibited from calling the phone numbers listed on the registry. Hence, it is easy to identify potential spam calls and illegal robocalls after registration.
How Can You Spot and Report Municipality of Anchorage Phone Scams?
While phone scams in the Municipality of Anchorage can be tough to recognize, there are signs that residents can observe to identify potential scams. Although phone scammers are continually exploring new means of extorting naive persons, residents can take advantage of the various scam alerts being provided by consumer protection agencies. Since fraudsters favor phone spoofing in their deceptive scams, doing reverse phone look up on phone numbers in unknown incoming calls is worth the stress. Reverse phone lookup services can retrieve information on unknown callers and prevent anyone from falling victim to scams. The residents of the Municipality of Anchorage should know that they may be speaking with potential phone scammers if they observe the following during phone conversations:
- The caller asks you to transfer money quickly via unusual payment channels. Phone scammers favor wire transfers, iTunes vouchers, and cash (mailed).
- The caller requests that you share confidential information such as PINs and passwords. These are supposed to be private and not to be disclosed to anyone, especially not over the phone.
- An automated phone call from a sales company you have not permitted to call you is an illegal robocall and a potential scam call.
- A caller who claims to be with the government and asking you to confirm or provide the information their agency has on file is a potential scammer.
- A caller who claims to be with a reputable firm but is hesitant to answer your concerns on their offers and is not willing to reveal their contact address is a scammer.
Authorities encourage residents to report phone scam incidents as they form the basis for scam alerts to guide citizens from falling victim to identified scams. The following agencies provide reporting platforms for residents of the Municipality of Anchorage:
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC established the National Do Not Call Registry to protect consumers from unwanted telephone solicitations. It also provides residents with guides on blocking unwanted calls. Residents should report cases of illegal calls and other scams to the FTC online or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
Anchorage Police Department - The APD receives reports and investigates fraudulent practices against city residents. Anchorage residents who are phone scam victims can report their encounters to the APD by calling (907) 786-8900 or online.
Alaska Attorney General's Office - The AGO provides information and protection to consumers. Anchorage residents who are phone scam victims can complete the Consumer Complaint Form and send it to the Consumer Protection Unit of the AGO via email. They can also submit completed forms at the AGO offices.
Federal Communication Commission - The FCC also protects consumers from illegal robocalls and phone spoofing scams. It issues guidelines on stopping unwanted robocalls and avoiding phone scams on its website. Phone scam victims can file complaints online with the FCC.