What are Pulaski County Area Codes?
A block of three numbers, called area codes, typically begins American telephone numbers. Area codes were introduced when the need emerged to automate phone call switching due to the human operators’ incapability to cope with the growing population. Consequently, the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) segmented the country into different clusters, made up of close cities and towns. Each cluster, known as Numbering Plan Area (NPA), has a unique area code to differentiate them. Hence, identifying the area codes at the beginning of telephone numbers predicts most phone calls’ origin and destination. The Arkansas Public Service Commission (PSC) presides over area codes in the state.
The only area code currently serving Pulaski County is 501.
Area Code 501
Area code 501 is assigned for the telephone service area within which Pulaski County lies. It is one of the original 86 area codes created when NANP emerged and previously served the entire State of Arkansas. Currently, it covers the county and surrounding neighborhoods. Pulaski County communities within the 501 NPA include Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood, Jacksonville, and Maumelle.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Pulaski County?
Arkansans are gradually shifting from the traditional landlines and are adopting improved means of accessing telephony services. Data from a 2018 survey by the CDC confirmed this. About 66.4% of adult Arkansans occupied homes with exclusive wireless subscriptions, while those that resided in households with only landline subscriptions were 4.2%. The disparity in the kinds of telephony services accessed got even wider among the child population. An estimated 81.2% of children lived in homes with exclusive use of wireless telephony services. Children who lived in landline-only households were about 1.7%. The numbers from this report validate landline telephony’s recent waning popularity.
The four major telephone carriers offer excellent network services in Arkansas. Several Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MNVOs) also complement the national carriers to ensure Arkansans receive the best cellular service. In Pulaski County, Verizon offers residents the broadest coverage, with a 98% presence in the county. AT&T and T-Mobile both cover 78% and 60% of the county, respectively. Sprint is further behind and only covers 52% of Pulaski County.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is also gaining popularity as an alternative to regular telephony services in Pulaski County. It transmits communication over broadband internet connections. It is especially convenient for business owners who no longer need to subscribe to different service providers for additional telephony services. A single VoIP subscription covers all their business and personal needs.
What are Pulaski County Phone Scams?
Pulaski County phone scams are perpetrated by fraudsters who use telephony services to extort money or steal personal information from county residents. One way of preventing phone scams is to conduct reverse phone number searches on suspicious phone numbers. Phone number searches help unveil phone scammers’ true identities. Authorities in Arkansas provide regulations to protect residents against deceptive practices and intimates them with scam trends by publishing information on prevalent phone scams. The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, and other consumer protection agencies educate residents on how to avoid phone scams. The Consumer Protection Division of the AGO particularly enumerated some common phone scams for residents’ awareness, and they include:
What are Charity Scams?
Charity scams involve the misrepresentation of fake charities as legitimate ones to extort Pulaski County residents for personal gains. Usually, these fraudsters name their phony charity organizations after legitimate ones to establish trust with their targets. Authorities advise residents to be wary of presumed charities that specify methods of donating. These scammers prefer contributions by cash, gift cards, or wire transfers. A safer means of making donations to charities is by credit cards or checks drawn in the charity organization’s name. Pulaski County residents always verify that the organizations to which they are making donations are duly registered by the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office (SOS). The SOS provides an online search portal for residents to confirm the registration status of any charity organization that contacts them. Additionally, performing reverse phone lookup on unknown phone numbers is always advised. Once residents can confirm callers’ identities, they can be sure their monies will go to verified charity organizations.
What are Family Emergency Scams?
To execute these scams, the callers will assume the identities of their targets’ close relatives and make distress calls for money. Elderly Pulaski County residents are usually the primary targets of family emergency scams. With some background information on their targets, the scammers will place calls to their targets and pretend to be close relatives. Usually, these imposters claim to be their targets’ distant grandchildren, the reason this scam is also called a grandparents scam. The callers typically seek urgent financial assistance to resolve some emergencies. They may say they were arrested while on vacation to foreign countries or were involved in car accidents. Usually, an accomplice acts as the authority figure vested with the power to free the distressed family member once marks make the requested payments. Pulaski County residents who receive such calls should never rush into sending money. They should confirm the whereabouts of alleged distressed relatives from other members of the family to avoid losing money to emergency scams. Authorities specifically mandate gift card traders to ask questions from elderly patrons of bulk gift cards to ensure they are not being coerced. Families are also advised to devise secret family codes that only family members can decode to determine if such callers are truly close relatives.
What are International Lottery Scams?
International lottery scams promise targeted people winnings from fake lotteries once they make upfront payments. These payments are purportedly for tax and clearance fees, but indeed, they are just for the scammers’ personal gain. In this scam, targets will receive phone calls, emails, or text messages notifying them of big wins from international lotteries. The targets may not even remember entering any competition that could have led to such winnings. The fraudsters will then convince their targets to pay certain fees upfront to gain access to the purported winnings. However, victims will not receive any winnings nor further hear from the scammers once they pay. Authorities warn Pulaski County residents never to make any payment upfront with the hope of receiving lottery winnings. Such lotteries simply do not exist. Executing phone number lookups by address can reveal the callers’ true identities and locations. Such revelations ensure residents know who they are dealing with and easily spot discrepancies in the information provided.
What are IRS Scams?
IRS scams are prevalent in Pulaski County and are exceptionally high during tax seasons. Typically, imposters take on the identities of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officers when perpetrating this scam. They place aggressive phone calls to unsuspecting residents in a bid to steal their money and fraudulently obtain confidential information. The scammers usually spoof their targets’ Caller IDs to display IRS phone numbers when executing this scam to fool their targets. During the calls, they will threaten their marks with jail, deportation, or confiscation of properties if they hesitate to make immediate payments of delinquent taxes. Pulaski County residents should know that the IRS does not place aggressive calls to tax defaulters. Instead, defaulters will receive notices by mail and may challenge any amount quoted as past due taxes. When callers who identify as IRS officials demand specific payment methods such as gift cards or money transfers, Pulaski County residents must be suspicious.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated calls that deliver pre recorded information to targeted residents. Instead of speaking with live humans, residents get to listen to the taped message delivered in robotic voices. They are used mainly by telemarketing companies seeking to reach multitudes of people. It is more affordable to broadcast recorded messages to a mass audience as against employing humans to place such calls directly. Robocalls' low cost and potential wide reach appeal to fraudsters who have now adapted them to suit their deceptive schemes. The adverse use of robocalls and the proliferation of these spam calls has led to many calling for a significant clampdown on robocalls. In response, certain limitations have been placed on the legitimate use of robocalls. Generally, they are considered illegal and are only permitted to be placed to residents who have given prior consent. However, some specific organizations are permitted to deliver robocalls without called parties’ previous approval. Robocalls by charity organizations, political groups, debt collection firms, healthcare providers, and purely informational calls are permitted without authorization. To beat this limitation, scammers deploy spoofing to deceive their targets into believing they are calls from reputable entities. Authorities advise taking the following steps to reduce the frequency of robocalls:
- Ignore calls from unidentified phone numbers.
- When you answer a robocall unintentionally, hang up immediately without following the voice prompt. Pushing specific buttons as demanded by the recorded messages attracts more of such calls.
- Inquire about the call blocking options offered by your network provider. If unsuitable to your needs, use any free third-party call-blocking tool to bar identified robocall numbers.
- Execute good reverse phone lookups to identify robocall numbers and avoid phone scams.
- Add your number to the National Do Not Call Registry. Legitimate telemarketers do not place robocalls to numbers on this list, making it easy to identify illegal robocalls.
- Report robocall abuse to the FTC online or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
How Can You Spot and Report Pulaski County Phone Scams?
The tricks used by phone scammers to steal their targets’ money are continuously evolving. Hiding behind unknown numbers, phone scammers assume identities that can grant them access to targets and make their scam pitches believable. Reverse cell phone lookup services can provide answers to the question: “who is this number registered to?” and unveil the fraudsters’ real identities. Authorities keep up with fraudsters’ devious schemes and provide regular information to residents to help them avoid such scam calls. They advise Pulaski County residents to be wary of the following common tactics:
- Aggressive phone calls and threats of punitive actions from alleged official bodies if their demands are not met immediately are usually suspicious. Legitimate public agencies such as the IRS and utility companies do not threaten residents over the phone.
- The promise of rewards after targets’ upfront payment or disclosure of personal information is a sign of a scam. Prizes should be unconditional, and residents should be wary if asked to make upfront payments to claim winnings.
- Seemingly risk-free investment opportunities that promise high returns in a very short time are mostly scams. Residents will also notice the accompanying pressure to make funding available for this investment immediately. These fraudsters do not want their targets to run necessary background research on the alleged investment opportunity.
- Demand for payments through irregular means such as gift cards, cryptocurrencies, or wire transfers. Only scammers prefer receiving funds through these means because they are usually untraceable.
The possibility of being targeted by phone scammers in Pulaski County is very high. Being aware of their common tactics and taking precautions will help Pulaski County residents avoid falling victims. Several institutions provide residents with regular resources that keep them aware of scammers’ schemes. These institutions also offer platforms for residents to report incidents of phone scams. They include:
Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) is the primary law enforcement agency in the county. The PCSO runs a CrimeStoppers Program in partnership with the community. Victims of phone scams can report to the Criminal Investigations Department of the PCSO by calling (501) 340-6940.
The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office regularly provides Pulaski County residents with updates on common scams through its Consumer Protection Division. Residents can file consumer complaints online or call (800) 482-8982. Residents can also report phone scam incidents in Pulaski County to the Attorney General’s Office via email.
As regulators of the communications industry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated telephone carriers to provide more robust caller authentication methods. When introduced, it is hoped that the STIR/SHAKEN caller authentication method will significantly reduce phone spoofing. The FCC also provides scam alerts to keep residents aware of new schemes devised by scammers. Pulaski County residents can file complaints online with the FCC.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) exists to protect consumers’ interests while also promoting competition among service providers. The FTC protects residents from robocalls by developing the National Do Not Call Registry. The register is a database of phone numbers that do not want to receive unsolicited calls. In complying with the FTC’s directives, telemarketing companies do not place robocalls to phone numbers on this list. The FTC also provides residents with guides on common phone scams and managing incidents of robocall abuse. Pulaski County residents can use the FTC’s consumer complaints assistant to file complaints online.