What are Merrimack County Area Codes?
Area codes are the initial three digits of American phone numbers. As designed by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), area codes help streamline telephony processes. They identify specific geographic locations within NANPA territories in North America where calls are initiated and divide them into Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs). The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC) maintains and administers area codes in New Hampshire. Currently, only one area code is actively covering Merrimack County.
Area Code 603
Put into service in 1947 as part of the original 86 NPAs, Area code 603 is a New Hampshire area code serving the entire state. Cities and towns in Merrimack County within the 603 NPA include Concord, Andover, Bow, Canterbury, Chichester, Epsom, Franklin, Henniker, Hill, Loudon, New London, Newbury, and Pittsfield.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Merrimack County?
An increasing number of New Hampshire residents are choosing cell phones as their preferred means of telecommunication. According to the data from a 2018 National Health Interview Survey, only 4.5% of the adult population in New Hampshire still used landlines solely for telecommunication. In contrast, 46.0% of them used only cell phones. The preference for cell phones was more striking among the under-18 demographic as only 1.2% used landlines exclusively, while 53.8% were sole cell phone users.
The four primary phone network carriers in the United States serve Merrimack County and have excellent service coverage. They also provide the network infrastructures for several Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), which serve as affordable alternatives for county residents. In Concord, Verizon offers the best network spread of about 100%, followed by AT&T, which covers 97% of the city. T-Mobile extends cover by about 76.1%, and Sprint reaches 39% of the city.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology provides an alternative telephony service in Merrimack County and supports audio calls, video conferencing, and text messages. It uses broadband internet connections to offer affordable and flexible telephony services. Merrimack County residents continue to adopt this technology for personal and business use.
What are Merrimack County Phone Scams?
Merrimack County phone scams are fraudulent activities that rely on phone services to con residents out of money or confidential information. Phone scammers often spoof their marks’ caller identities to appear legitimate while preying on them. Reverse number lookup applications can identify spoofed phone calls and prevent residents from phone scams. Public agencies that are responsible for protecting Merrimack County residents from telephone scams include:
- Merrimack County Sheriff's Office
- New Hampshire Attorney General's Office
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- New Hampshire Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Phone scams commonly perpetrated in Merrimack County include:
What are Merrimack County Government Grant Scams?
Scammers pose as federal government officials and call county residents to inform them of their eligibility for government grants. This information is false, and the fraudsters aim to access their target's bank account or make them send money. Scammers typically give fake reasons why their targets should send them money in advance or provide personal information. Sometimes, they claim that an up-front processing fee is required to guarantee the grant and promise to refund their victims if the grant application fails. They ask their marks for bank account information supposedly for direct deposit of grant benefits. Sadly, county residents who comply with their demands end up disappointed as these scammers abscond with their money or steal their identities. The Federal Trade Commission urges residents to be wary of callers making such requests. Thoroughly research any grant opportunity and run the caller’s phone number through an application that offers reverse phone lookup services. The federal government will never demand money from beneficiaries before awarding grants. The fact that the caller ID information bears the name of a government agency does not imply they are legitimate.
What are Merrimack County Phishing Scams?
These are scams intended to trick Merrimack County residents into disclosing confidential information such as PINs, passwords, credit card numbers, or bank account information. Scammers posing as representatives of reputable entities like telephone companies or banks call county residents to inquire about personal details. They may claim that the organization experienced a technical error that requires them to verify clients’ records. The fraudsters may also pretend to alert their marks about suspicious transactions on their accounts originating from a foreign country. They obtain information to investigate the supposed transactions and then commit identity theft. Phishing scams are sometimes tricky to detect because fraudsters spoof their targets’ Caller IDs to appear legitimate. They also sound convincing and may provide some details (which they purchased illegally) about their targets.
No matter how convincing they may sound, never divulge your details to unknown persons over the phone. End such phone calls and call your bank or the organization referenced in the call through their official phone numbers to verify the callers. Residents can run such callers’ phone numbers through applications that offer suspicious phone number lookup to know who called them. County residents who suspect they are victims of identity theft because of information they disclosed to fraudsters can report to the Sheriff's Office. The Consumer Protection Bureau New Hampshire Attorney General's Office provides resources on dealing with identity theft.
What are Merrimack County Reshipping Scams?
Online job seekers in Merrimack County are the usual targets of this scam where they get calls from scammers posing as potential employers. The scammers inform their targets that their job description is to collect parcels delivered to their homes, repack, and then ship them to foreign countries. As part of the instruction, they discard the receipts and original packages that came with those items. Unknown to the targets, they will be keeping stolen goods as those items were purchased online by criminals using stolen credit cards. The products that scammers ask marks to reship are usually pricey merchandise such as sophisticated electronic gadgets. Scammers often promise to pay their victims after a month, but such payment never happens, and they stop all communications after the reshipment. Residents who disclose personal information to enlist in their so-called employers’ payroll end up as victims of identity theft.
The Federal Trade Commission warns residents to be wary of unknown overseas companies and turn down reshipping job offers as they are usually scams. In addition, residents should never divulge personal information to unfamiliar companies or individuals. You can use applications that offer reverse phone lookup international service to ascertain the origins of such calls and avoid scams.
What are Merrimack County Loan Scams?
Scammers posing as employees of reputable moneylenders call Merrimack County residents to offer them credits. This scam preys on residents with poor credit histories. Fraudsters leverage on their desperation to trick them out of money and confidential information. They try to dispel any doubt their targets have about being unqualified for loans due to poor credit scores. Scammers pitch their fake loan offers and instruct any target that takes their bait to pay a loan processing fee as part of the loan offer requirements.
In most cases, they ensure that the payments are untraceable by choosing wire transfers or other unofficial payment channels. Victims often find out after making payments that the callers are no longer reachable. The fraudsters may request personal and bank account information as a prerequisite for disbursing the said loan. If provided, personal information can be used to steal victims' identities. Scammers often use phone number spoofing to disguise their caller IDs while impersonating employees of legitimate businesses. Residents should, therefore, not indulge unverified callers offering unsolicited loans. They can also use free reverse phone lookup services to uncover these callers’ identities. Legitimate money lenders will not demand processing fees upfront before disbursing loans as they are deducted from the loan amount before disbursement. They will also not guarantee loans to clients with bad credit histories. The FTC advises residents never to send money or reveal confidential information to unknown persons over the phone.
What are Merrimack County Jury Duty Scams?
Fraudsters impersonate court or law enforcement officers and use scare tactics to intimidate Merrimack County residents into releasing personal information or sending money. The scammers accuse their targets of missing jury duty and threaten them with arrest or other severe penalties. If the resident protests the jury duty summons, the scammer then inquires of their personal information for verifications. Their primary goal is to glean data for identity theft. In most cases, the scammers will insist that their victims pay certain fines to avoid arrest for failing to appear for jury duty.
Never send money or reveal personal information to someone you have not met. If a supposed court or government official threatens and solicits money or confidential information over the phone, hang up immediately. It is best to call the court or the Sheriff's Office on their official phone numbers to verify the caller's claim. You can uncover the caller's identity using phone lookup applications. Legitimate law enforcement officials do not threaten residents or solicit payments over the phone. Also, genuine summons for missed jury duty are usually mailed, and residents are not required to pay fines if they miss court dates.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are phone calls distributed to mass phone numbers by automatic dialers. Although there are legitimate uses of robocalls, scammers often use them to defraud county residents. They usually spoof robocall numbers to appear genuine and fool their targets. Spam calls are unsolicited calls that relay irrelevant messages in bulk, and robocalls are a variant of spam calls. Residents can determine if incoming calls are robocalls using applications that offer phone number search free services. Some of the best ways to avoid falling victim to robocall scams are to:
- Hang up immediately on any robocall without responding to its instructions because this can result in more robocalls.
- Enroll your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry to be exempt from unwanted sales calls. Do not hesitate to report continued robocall disturbances to the FTC as they are probable scams.
- Unravel the actual identity behind robocalls by using reverse phone lookup search engines.
- Block robocall numbers with the call-blocking applications on your phone. You can also leverage the FCC's online resource on blocking unwanted robocalls.
How Can You Spot and Report Merrimack County Phone Scams?
To spot Merrimack County phone scams, residents must be equipped with information about scammers' tactics and pay attention to the warning signs. The County Sheriff's Office and other public agencies constantly provide residents with information on phone scams and methods of avoiding them. You can subscribe to reverse phone number lookup services for verifying unknown callers' identities. Common signs of phone scams in Merrimack County include:
- Getting random business or investment offers from unknown callers who guarantee huge profits with no risk. Typically, there are always risks involved in businesses. Hence, anyone making such promises is likely a scammer interested in cheating you out of your money.
- An unknown caller claims to be with a legitimate entity but demands payment through wire transfers, bitcoins, or gift cards. Genuine organizations do not usually accept these forms of transactions.
- An unknown caller guarantees you a stress-free loan but is uninterested in your credit history and demands an up-front payment for loan processing.
- A caller who pressures you for payment or personal information within short notice and threatens you with legal repercussions if you hesitate is likely a scammer.
Merrimack County residents can report phone scams to relevant public agencies. Some of them are:
- Merrimack County Sheriff's Office: Merrimack County residents can report phone scam cases to the County Sheriff's Office by calling (603) 796-6600. Residents who prefer to file in-person complaints can visit the Merrimack County Sheriff's Office at 333 Daniel Webster Hwy, Boscawen, NH 03303.
- New Hampshire Attorney General's Office: The Consumer Protection Bureau of the Attorney General's Office protects county residents and informs them about prevalent scams in the county. Residents can report phone scams to this agency by filing consumer complaints or calling the Consumer Protection hotline at 1 (888) 468-4454 or (603) 271-3641.
- New Hampshire Better Business Bureau (BBB): Merrimack County residents defrauded by business entities can report to the New Hampshire BBB by calling 1 (603) 224-1991.
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC): The FTC maintains the National Do Not Call Registry. Merrimack County residents can enroll their phone numbers to reduce robocall intrusion. Residents who fall victim to fraudulent robocalls or other phone scams can file online complaints with the FTC or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC): Merrimack County residents who were victims of phone scams can file complaints with the FCC.