If you receive a call from any 800 area code, you may wonder whether it’s really a scam and who’s calling, especially if the number calls out of the blue from an area that you don’t recognize. And, if the caller asks to be removed from your list, will it really make any difference?Not wanting to find yourself caught as the victim of a scam, it is understandable that you may currently avoid these numbers.
History of Area Code 800:
Area code 800 is also known as toll free or freephone. Area Code 800 has been serving North America since 1982. These are service numbers that provide information to callers at no charge. This area code covers mainly California and Nevada, but in some areas of these states they use other area codes to indicate an outlying location.
At one time Area Code 800 used to include Canada; however, Canada uses their own area codes now. Today most services which were assigned to Area Code 800 have been reassigned to different area codes because of overuse.
Are calls from 800 toll-free?
No. 800 numbers are actually billed calls. From your phone provider’s point of view, you’re using up a minute from your plan when you call an 800 number even if you don’t say anything. The service provider doesn’t pay for these calls; it gets paid by whoever owns (or rents) that number.
There are also 900 and 976 area codes that used to be toll-free but have been phased out in most regions in favor of local call pricing or dialing 1-xxx-yyy-zzzz to reach long distance networks. What is an 800 number?: In North America, any telephone number with three digits starting with 1 is considered a toll-free number. This includes 888, 877, 866 and 855.
Is 800 a scam?
800 area codes aren’t geographically assigned. An 800 number can be located anywhere in North America. This can make tracing a scammer more difficult; even if you do manage to find a real address and get law enforcement involved, it may not be a big help (the cops will likely need assistance from their local phone provider before they’re able to determine where a call originated).
800 numbers are often tied to virtual offices and rarely use landlines – which means that unless you contact your service provider directly, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to locate an actual physical address for a caller’s location.
How Do You Pay For Toll Free Numbers?
Toll free numbers typically cost a few dollars per month. You can get some that are local, meaning they start with a 916 area code or a 208 area code instead of 800. Local numbers usually run $10 to $15 per month depending on how big your business is and how big of an area you want to cover.
Or you can get national toll free numbers that have 800 in front of them as well as some other prefixes like 888 or 877 and so on. National toll free numbers cost $25 to $40 per month for starter packs that offer about five lines each. For premium lines starting at 10 and going up to 1,000 it might be more than double for just one line.
How to obtain your own 800 area code number?
In order to obtain your own 800 area code number, you will need to know whether or not your company meets a few requirements. If your company meets these basic prerequisites, then you can obtain your own 800 area code number. In order to obtain a 800 area code number for your business, there are specific conditions that you must meet first.
Firstly, your business should have a registered telephone subscriber plan with one of Canada’s major long distance service providers. Secondly and most importantly, you must ensure that you have adequate funds available in order to pay for all of services involved with obtaining an 800 area code phone number.
What is a city in the United States uses the area code 800?
Washington DC (Washington) is a city in the United States. Area code 800 serves Washington, DC and the surrounding area. These are the telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The NANP is a telephone numbering system that encompasses twenty-five countries in North America, including Canada and the United States.
If you’re familiar with some North American geography you’ll understand that 800 covers four Canadian provinces (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick) plus three U.S. states (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont).
What makes 800 different from other toll free numbers?
The 800 area code is what makes 800 different from other toll free numbers. Not only can businesses with a toll free number get a great deal on reaching a large amount of people but they can also offer a business lead to local consumers.
This makes for an easy way to advertise and make money at the same time. Having your number reach so many people makes it easy for you to get customers; however, don’t expect that every call will be good news. In addition to getting legit calls from customers you will be receiving bad calls as well.
Getting your 800 area code and having it go nationwide was made easier in 2008 by Vonage and Business Unions who joined forces to provide more value for their clients.
Benefits Of 800 Area Code Numbers
Area codes 800 and 888 have been allocated for toll-free services. What many people do not know is that area code 800 can now be used as a local number anywhere in America. What does all of that mean? Well, if you want to give your business a national presence but don’t want to invest heavily in a toll free number with another area code (which still gives your business national presence), 800 is a good alternative.
Local numbers are easy to set up on cell phones because they use them to display their caller ID information. Area code 800 is gaining popularity as an additional business number as well because it has local benefits at no additional cost.
What Role Do The FCC PlayIn 800 Numbers?
The FCC has a very small role in 800 numbers. They have no involvement in regulating toll free numbers or with managing fraudulent call centers. The FCC simply enforces rules on billing and collects fines when violations are found. Unfortunately, if you receive a call from an 800 number that seems suspicious then you’re not likely to receive any help from them as they don’t keep track of individual calls and rely on reports to help identify possible fraud areas.
In addition, many types of businesses choose to use toll free numbers (such as restaurants and contractors) but since these aren’t commercial lines their violations aren’t reported so there is no way for us to know what they are doing without investigating first hand which is often impossible given how many toll free numbers exist nationwide.
Conclusion:
The toll-free area code phenomenon is about much more than just time and money; it’s also a handy little window into how consumers’ behaviors are changing. While some may lament 800’s impending loss as a sign of an increasingly disposable society, we can’t help but feel optimistic about its future. The proliferation of SMS texting has opened up all sorts of interesting uses for numbers—including mobile ones like 567-32222222—and it’s likely that we’ll see some sort of reincarnation when our old friend 800 leaves us for good.
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