What are El Dorado County Area Codes?
An area code is a three-digit numeric code at the beginning of a ten-digit North American phone number. Area codes designate the specific Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in a state as instituted by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). They determine the origins of phone calls. The California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) manages California area codes as authorized by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The Commission works closely with the NANPA in assigning new area codes for territories running out of phone numbers within the state. Only one area code (530) covers El Dorado County.
Area Code 530
Area Code 530 is a California area code that came into service in 1997. It was created from a split of the 916 NPA, and it serves various counties in California. In El Dorado County, the major cities and towns under area code 530 include Placerville, South Lake Tahoe, Pollock Pines, Diamond Springs, and Georgetown.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in El Dorado County?
The four major phone carriers offer the best cell phone plans in El Dorado County, each with a different level of network penetration. Several Mobile Virtual Network Services (MVNOs) also provide network services at affordable rates to county residents. For instance, T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are present in the City of Placerville with 86%, 82%, and 76% coverage, respectively.
A 2018 CDC survey showed that wireless telephony services continue to gain widespread adoption over landlines in California. According to the reports, only 3.3% of the state adult population used landline phones solely for telephony services, while about 55.4% had adopted cell phones exclusively. Among the children demographic, those who lived in wireless-only homes represented 63.5% of the group, while 1.8% resided in landline-only homes.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a telephony service that delivers communication over broadband internet connections between users. It has gained popularity in El Dorado County owing to its numerous advantages over regular telephony services. It supports audio calling, video conferencing, and text messaging at very affordable rates.
What are El Dorado County Phone Scams?
El Dorado County phone scams are deceptive practices aimed at extorting money and confidential information from county residents over the phone. Phone scammers employ telephone services such as robocalls, text messages, and human-initiated phone calls when preying on targets. They mostly spoof their phone numbers to imitate those of legitimate entities and impersonate such entities to appear credible when contacting unsuspecting residents. It is possible to uncover suspicious callers’ identities by using applications that offer reverse phone lookup free services. Residents who fall victim to phone scams often always end up losing money or their identities.
The California Department of Consumer Affairs (CDCA) is the primary consumer agency in the state, and it educates residents on how best to avoid phone scams. Similarly, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) makes all efforts to protect residents from phone scams and rid the county of this menace. It also investigates reported phone scam cases. The following are some of the commonly reported phone scams in El Dorado County:
What are El Dorado County Sex Offender Scams?
Scammers pretend to be officers of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) when they call targeted residents to perpetrate these scams. Generally, registered sex offenders must comply with laid-down rules, violation which may lead to extreme legal actions. Fraudsters take advantage of this to extort naive family members of sex offenders. They often contact their relatives and inform them of violations of the sex offender registry by their family members who are registered sex offenders in El Dorado County. The scammers will demand that they pay specific fines immediately, or their sex offender relatives may face arrests or other punitive actions. These scammers usually spoof their marks' Caller IDs to appear as if they are being called from the EDSO. In many instances, they will stay on the phone with targets until payments are made and confirmed. They do this to prevent potential victims from reaching out to other family members or law enforcement to verify their claims. Their preferred methods of receiving payment include wire transfers and gift cards. Residents who receive this type of calls can run the callers' phone numbers through free reverse phone lookup applications to know who called.
Any random person cannot call sex offenders' relatives to inform them of possible sanctions for violating the sex offender registry. Usually, there are officers assigned to monitor offenders' activities and will most likely be the ones to make contact should there be issues. The EDSO warns residents to be wary of fraudsters who claim to be with law enforcement contacting residents with these bogus claims. The agency does not solicit payment of fines over the phone. If you get this type of call and solicitation, confirm the caller's identity using applications that offer suspicious phone number lookup services.
What are El Dorado County Tax Collection Scams?
These scams target residents with delinquent taxes in El Dorado County. Generally, the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) engages some private ventures to go after recalcitrant debtors and recover taxes owed to the agency. Scammers are leveraging this arrangement to cheat county residents out of their money. The IRS warns residents to beware of persons who pose as employees of debt collection agencies assigned to them by the IRS for tax recovery. In this scam, the callers claim to be with one of such firms and inform their targets to settle overdue taxes immediately to avoid arrest. They are usually hostile and will go to any length to coerce payment and sometimes confidential information from targeted residents. If you receive such a call, run the caller's phone number through a phone number search application to ascertain the caller's identities and confirm their professional profile. The scammers favor payment by gift cards and wire transfers. These are odd means of receiving payments, and the IRS or agency appointed by them for tax recovery will not request payments through them.
In practice, the IRS notifies taxpayers with two separate written letters before transferring their delinquent accounts to recovery by private debt collectors. Usually, the first letter will inform taxpayers of the intention of the IRS to transfer their tax accounts to recovery, while the second introduces collection agencies to taxpayers. This process is designed to prevent tax-related scams. However, residents who, despite this, still fall victim to tax collections scams can file complaints online with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).
What are El Dorado County COVID-19 Scams?
El Dorado County residents who receive calls from unknown persons engaging them on COVID-19-related discussions should use reverse phone lookup applications to confirm the identities of such callers. Scammers are taking advantage of the complexities of coronavirus to extort unsuspecting residents. Hence, they must be careful to avoid falling victim to these scams. Although the scam comes in many variations, its primary aim is to steal money or obtain targets' information, or both. In a popular version of COVID-19 scams, the callers pose as contact tracers from local health departments and inform their marks that they have been in contact with persons who tested positive for coronavirus. They usually advise targets to self-isolate and then make some inquiries. Besides requesting non-personal-identifying information, these scammers will probe marks for some confidential information in a bid to commit identity theft. Legitimate contact tracers do not solicit information unrelated to residents' health or recent travels. Anyone who does otherwise is a potential scammer.
In another variant, scammers pretend to be with government agencies and contact residents with the promise to facilitate speedy collections of stimulus payment. However, such offers usually come with specific fees. Authorities warn residents to be wary of such callers. These scammers typically request payment by wire transfers, gift cards, and sometimes cash. No resident is required to pay money to access stimulus payments. Also, scammers are leveraging the uncertainties around COVID-19 to defraud El Dorado County residents by offering them medications, test kits, and vaccinations at a fee. Anyone who contacts you with these types of offers is most likely a scammer. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) advises residents to beware of these callers and terminate such calls once they suspect frauds.
What are El Dorado County Social Security Scams?
There are many versions of social security scams in El Dorado County. In most cases, the scammers pretend to be employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA) or local law enforcement. In one variation, the callers will contact residents and allege that the SSA is currently investigating their Social Security Numbers (SSNs) for fraudulent activities. The callers will inform targets that their SSNs were compromised and accounts suspended. The scammers will appear helpful and offer to step into the investigations and resolve the issues. They will also promise to issue them new SSNs once they settle the issues. The scammers will instruct targets to withdraw all the money in their bank accounts to purchase gift cards and then share card details for supposed safekeeping. They usually promise to issue checks in amounts of the gift cards once their new SSNs are issued and assigned. They request targets' personal information, including SSNs, for assumed record verifications towards the issuance of new ones. Reverse phone number lookup applications can help residents determine if such phone calls are made by the SSA or law enforcement and prevent them from falling victim to social security scams.
The SSA warns residents that its agents do not solicit money or personal identifying information, nor do they promise issuance of new SSNs over the phone. If you receive this type of call or fall victim to a social security scam, contact the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), SSA, at 1 (800) 269-0271 to file a complaint. You can search the reverse number lookup of the caller’s phone number to probe; “who is this number registered to?”
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
A robocall is an automated phone call programmed to deliver a pre-recorded message to selected mass phone numbers. Although used by government agencies, political campaign organizations, and telemarketers legitimately, robocalls are now used frequently by phone scammers to perpetrate frauds. You can identify robocall numbers using applications that provide phone number lookup services. Performing phone number searches on such services can also prevent you from falling victim to robocall scams. Spam calls are random and irrelevant calls sent en-mass to phone users who do not want such calls. They are mostly illegal. Robocalls are a unique variant of spam calls.
To avoid falling victims to scams that use robocalls and spam calls, your best options are:
- Use phone number lookup free services to identify robocall numbers and block them. You can bar such phone numbers from future calls using the built-in call-blocking features on your phone.
- Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. The telephone numbers on this list are spared from receiving robocalls. However, spam calls and illegal robocalls typically defy the registry, helping you identify and avoid scams.
- End a robocall immediately you know what it is. Disregard any prompts asking you to press a number as these lead to more automated messages and register your phone number for more robocalls and future phone scams
- Report unwanted calls to the FTC online or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
How Can You Spot and Report El Dorado County Phone Scams?
To avoid getting scammed by fraudsters, El Dorado County residents must remain observant and be able to spot them. Most fraudsters modify old cons, so having enough information on how they operate can help you spot phone scams and avoid them. If you suspect an incoming call is fraudulent, run the phone number through any application offering reverse phone lookup free service to ascertain the caller's identity and avoid getting fleeced. Common signs of phone scams in Anoka County include:
- The caller claims to be with the government and attempts to coerce payments or information from you by threatening to arrest or put you in jail. Legitimate employees of any government agency will not do such.
- The caller pretends to be representatives of legitimate businesses and requests personal and financial information. No legitimate entity will solicit customer information via random phone calls.
- An unknown caller presents overly attractive offers that require little or no action on your part, except that you make some financial commitments urgently.
- The caller makes an effort to prevent you from verifying their claims from other persons or is reluctant to answer your questions when you query their claims.
The following public agencies receive complaints on phone scams perpetrated in El Dorado County:
California Department of Consumer Affairs - The CDCA educates residents by giving them information on avoiding falling prey to individuals promoting deceptive services. Persons who fall victim to phone scams in El Dorado County can report the incidents to the CDCA via email or by calling 1 (800) 952-5210.
El Dorado County Sheriff's Office - The EDSO investigates reported phone scams incidents in the county. You can report a phone scam incident to the EDSO on (530) 621-5655 or visit any of the following agency's locations to file in-person complaints:
- 200 Industrial Drive
Placerville, CA 95667
- 1360 Johnson Blvd. #100
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC protects consumers from deceptive and unfair practices. It developed the National Do Not Call Registry to protect consumers from unsolicited calls. You can file reports of phone scams in El Dorado County with the FTC online or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222.