Canyon County Reverse Phone Lookup

What are Canyon County Area Codes?

An area code is a set of three digits that is part of a telephone number, routing long-distance calls to their destination. It is useful in identifying the origin and destination of a phone call. For quick information about a specific area code, use area code lookup tools online.

Only one area code currently serves Canyon County - Area code 208.

Area Code 208

Area code 208 is one of the original 86 area codes created by AT&T and the Bell System in 1947. It was initially the only area code serving the whole of the State of Idaho. However, area code 986 was created in 2017 to serve as an overlay to the 208-area code. Major Idaho cities covered by this code include Boise, Nampa, Meridian, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Caldwell, Twin Falls, and Lewiston.

What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Canyon County?

Cellular phone plans are in huge demand in Canyon County with telephony users increasingly choosing wireless telephony for telephony communications. According to a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2018, 72.7% of adults aged 18 and above living in Idaho used wireless telephony service exclusively, while only 3.1% were exclusive wired telephony users. Among Idaho residents below the age of 18, 81.8% used wireless-only telephony service, while 0.7% used landline-only telephony service.

Several options exist in the cell phone plan market in Canyon County. Few people are hard-pressed to find a plan with a reasonable price point that suits their budget. It is relatively easy to find a plan to stay connected and take advantage of a host of features and services. However, the primary thing to consider when choosing a plan from a wireless carrier is coverage. While you can find a cheap plan, its use may be impossible if you barely get any service where you live. One bright spot though is that all the four major wireless carriers offer good coverage in the cities and communities in Canyon County.

In the county seat of Caldwell, Verizon has the best coverage with a relative score of 92 compared to other providers. Sprint's coverage is rated at 90%, AT&T's at 80%, and T-Mobile's coverage is rated 76%. Canton County residents can also purchase cell phone plans from Mobile Virtual Network Operators. MVNOs are smaller wireless carriers operating on the networks of one of the four large carriers. The best value phone plans are usually offered by the MVNOs operating in Canyon County.

VoIP is another option for Canyon County residents and is fast becoming the definitive choice for many people. VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol and has been around for well over a decade, even though it is only becoming popular among telephone users in recent times. One big difference between VoIP and the PSTN used in traditional telephony systems is the way calls are conducted. PSTN transmits calls through traditional analog signals, while VoIP transmits calls through IP networks or internet connections. It also costs less to make calls over the internet become VoIP service providers do not have to build or maintain cable lines.

What are Canyon County Phone Scams?

Canyon County phone scams are illegal activities and fraudulent acts of crooked individuals perpetrated through phone calls to obtain personal and financial information or defraud Canyon County residents.

Telephone scammers give no heed to laws as they pose as officers of the law, representatives of legitimate charitable groups, employees of trusted businesses or agencies to get people to do their bidding. A scammer may offer you an "investment opportunity" to make quick cash or lure you into signing up for bogus services and products.

Common phone scams in Canyon County include IRS arrest scams, jury duty scams, fire department scams, and utility scams. Canyon County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.

What are Canyon County IRS Arrest Scams?

In an IRS scam, residents receive calls from persons claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service. If such calls are answered, the callers inform their targets that they have violated federal statutes and will be arrested unless payments are made within a short time frame. Targets are given instructions to get cash from the closest ATM and on how and where to deposit or send the money.

The scammers sound legitimate by using credible sources, and they attempt to victimize by playing on the emotions of their targets. Residents are typically intimidated by the threats of arrest or revocation of licenses. Note that it is unlikely for the IRS to call anyone with the threats of arrest, imprisonment, or license revocation. Phone lookup applications can help uncover the true identities of scam callers.

What are Canyon County Jury Duty Scams?

In recent times, the jury duty scam has become rampant in Canyon County. Residents have reported being targeted with demands for bond money to avoid arrest on fictitious warrants. The callers pose as officers of the Canyon County Sheriff's Office and the law enforcement agencies in the county. They explain to targets that they have missed jury duties and have warrants for their arrests. To avoid arrest, a target is required to pay a bond. Jury duty scams may take any form. Sometimes, targets may be informed to make payment to avoid arrest on unpaid tickets or failing to appear in court.

Bonds may be paid by purchasing prepaid money cards and providing the card numbers to the fraudsters. Victims have reported having been told to make payments ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The jury duty scam has generally targeted older citizens and the con artist sounds extremely professional over the phone or on voice mail. You can use a reverse cell phone lookup tool to verify if a caller’s identity matches the name given.

What are Canyon County Fire Department Scams?

Here, a Canyon County resident receives a call from someone claiming to be an employee of the local fire department or working on their behalf. In some cases, the scammers have gone as far as impersonating and using the names of actual employees in order to appear real to targets.

In the phone calls, the callers are soliciting for "emergency safety packet", "fire safety magnet", or other promotional items. Note that local fire departments do not call residents or businesses to solicit promotional materials or to sell items. Reverse phone number lookup applications can prevent residents from falling victim to phone scams.

What are Canyon County Utility Scams?

Utility scams are usually targeted at small businesses, typically restaurants. The callers pose as employees of utility companies such as water, gas, and electric companies. They threaten to cut off service unless payment is made immediately. Payments are usually requested in the form of wire transfers, gift cards, and reloadable cards.

You may also be informed about an "overpayment" on your account which is to be refunded. However, to access the refund, the caller asks you to provide your account details, bank account information, or credit card details. Once you provide such information, the caller uses the details to perpetrate identity theft or to steal your money. To verify that callers are who they say they are, you can use good reverse phone lookup tools online to quickly do a number lookup or reverse number lookup.

What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?

Robocalls are automated telephone calls that deliver prerecorded messages to telephone lines. It can be sent to landline and wireless telephone users. Unless you have explicitly consented to the calls, robocalls are generally prohibited under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). However, certain types of robocalls, such as political or charitable pitches from telemarketers are permitted.

Scammers and other crooked individuals do not adhere to the TCPA. Disreputable callers typically use robocalls in combination with VoIP and caller ID spoofing to send out thousands of robocalls to people in the hope of defrauding them. The unwanted and unsolicited nature of these calls qualifies them as spam calls.

A reverse phone number lookup application can identify whether an incoming call is a robocall or not. Other steps you can take to avoid robocall scams and limit robocall intrusions include:

• Be cautious when providing your number on websites. Offers for prizes or gift cards are often used to harvest telephone numbers for robocall solicitations.
• Register your telephone number on all available and official Do Not Call lists. You can register on the national Do Not Call Registry maintained by the Federal Trade Commission. You can do that by visiting the Registry’s website or calling (888) 382-1222 from the number you wish to register. You can register up to three phone numbers on the list.
• Explore call-blocking options from your phone service provider. You can contact your service provider to verify if call-blocking features are included in your plan or are available as add-on services.
• Download a third-party call-blocking application. Most major mobile application stores provide call-blocking apps for free download on their marketplaces. Examples include Mr. Number, Hiya, RoboKiller, Truecaller, and Nomorobo.
• Hang up on robocalls. If you hear a recorded message when you answer any call, hang up immediately.
• Ignore repeated calls from unknown callers. If an unknown caller keeps calling you. Ignore the calls. Such calls usually originate from scammers. If the message to be delivered is so important, the caller will leave a message in the voicemail.

How to Spot and Report Canyon County Phone Scams?

While phone scam rates are increasing nearly every year, the tricks used by fraudsters in defrauding individuals are only evolving. Phone scams have existed since the landline telephony systems were created. However, the rise of smartphones and modern technologies has meant that scams are easier and quicker to perpetrate. One way to defeat scammers is to know how to identify scams and ignoring suspicious calls. Reverse phone lookup tools can also help limit the negative impacts of phone scams.

The following are red flags in identifying phone scams:

• The caller hides caller ID display information: Scammers are fond of hiding caller ID information. Do not answer calls with hidden caller IDs.
• The caller refuses to give you time to make up your mind about an offer: If you are contacted by an unknown caller who informs you about an offer but insists you have to sign up immediately or make a small payment to access the offer, you are likely to have been contacted by a scammer.
• The caller pressures you for credit card numbers or other sensitive information: If an unsolicited caller requests sensitive private information from you, do not release it. Sensitive personal information such as credit card number, Social Security number, and bank account information must be kept private.
• The caller requires you to make payment through specific payment means: If an unsolicited caller asks you to send money or make payment through money transfer services such as MoneyGram, PayPal, and Western Union, be wary. Some callers may even ask for payment through gift cards and cryptocurrencies. Do not give in to their demands. Payments made through these methods are difficult to trace or retrieve.
• The caller is aggressive and tries to intimidate you: If a caller tries to scare you or intimidate you into taking action by threatening to arrest, sue, fine, or revoke your license, the call is most likely to originate from a scammer.

You can file complaints with any of the following public bodies if you have been contacted by a scammer:

• The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments: If you have received a call from a scammer, you can contact your local police department or the Canyon County Sheriff's Office at (208) 454-7351. In the county seat of Caldwell, you can contact the Caldwell Police Department at (208) 455-3115.
• The Idaho Attorney General’s Office:  To report a scam, you can file a complaint online to the Consumer Protection Unit of the Attorney General’s Office or call the office’s line at (208) 334-2400.
• Federal Communications Commission: If you receive unwanted robocalls and text messages, you can file a report online with the FCC.
• Federal Trade Commission - The FTC protects consumers from deceptive and fraudulent practices. You can file a phone scam report with the FTC by completing the online complaint form.