What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Genesee County?
Genesee County area codes are the first three digits that start 10-digit Genesee County telephone numbers. The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) was introduced to eliminate the difficulties in making phone calls due to the numerous existing systems. The NANP created the telephone service territories called numbering plan areas (NPAs) and used area codes to designate the different NPAs. The Michigan Public Service Commission is in charge of implementing and maintaining the state’s area codes. Currently, only one area code encompasses all of Genesee County.
Area Code 810
Area code 810 designates the NPA that serves east-central Michigan, including all of Genesee County. A split of the 313 NPA in 1993 created the 810 NPA. Cities in Genesee County under this NPA include Burton, Clio, Davison, Flint, Flushing, Grand Blanc, Linden, Montrose, Mount Morris, and Swartz Creek.
A Michigan State law enacted in 2017 allows phone companies to phase out POTS (Plain Old Telephone Services) or landlines. The law further guaranteed the end of landlines as the dominant telecommunication service in the state. A 2018 National Health Interview Survey reported that adults in Michigan households who used landlines as their only form of telecommunication made up 4.7% of the demographic. Those that used wireless services only made up 57.3%. The difference is more evident among children in Michigan households; 69.5% used wireless services exclusively while 1.7% used only landlines.
In the State of Michigan, all four phone carriers offer wireless phone services. Three carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon) boast over 90% coverage of territory in the state. Sprint lags these with only about 56% of the state covered. Overall, cellular coverage is better in cities and urbanized areas than in rural and natural areas. Also, numerous Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) acquire network services from the major carriers in bulk and sell bundled services to consumers at lower prices.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) offers telephony services, including voice, video, and text, over standard IP networks, typically broadband internet connections. Certain advantages afforded VoIP make it a viable and popular alternative to landline and cellular phone services, especially for businesses. VoIP services are more flexible, efficient, and cheaper than landlines and wireless telephone services and are available from several providers for business and residential users.
What are Genesee County Phone Scams?
These are fraudulent actions enacted with telephone services to steal money and confidential information from Genesee County residents. The Michigan State Attorney General’s Office provides information and tips for consumer protection. Residents who are victims of phone scams can file reports with the AG’s Office or report them to the FTC. In Genesee County, residents can also file reports of phone scams with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) at (810) 257-3422 or their local police departments. Before reporting these scams, they may use reverse phone number lookup services to identify phone scammers.
Some common phone scams in Genesee County include:
What are Medicare Scams?
In these scams, unknown callers steal sensitive information from Medicare users for financial and identity thefts. These scams target older residents, who are the primary beneficiaries of Medicare. The callers claim to be officials of the Genesee County Health Department (GCHD) when contacting medicare recipients. They usually spoof caller IDs to display the caller information of the GCHD. These fraudsters compile stolen medicare insurance and other confidential records from their victims and then use these details to steal their identities or sell the records to other scammers.
Authorities warn county residents to never respond to calls purportedly from the GCHD requesting Medicare and other personal records including health and financial information. The GCHD will never make unsolicited phone calls and request information they already have. Even if your phone’s caller ID displays GCHD phone numbers, end the call immediately if the caller asks for confidential information. Residents can contact the GCHD directly for inquiries and file reports on these scams with the GSCO or their local police departments.
What are Tax Debt Collector Scams?
The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) uses private debt collection firms to collect overdue federal taxes. Using this as cover, scammers contact county residents and impersonate employees of these firms. The callers claim to be with debt collection firms engaged by the IRS to collect on recalcitrant debtors. They are typically hostile and threaten taxpayers with lawsuits, arrests, deportations, and even physical harm to get them to pay immediately. They always instruct their victims to send payments through wire transfers and prepaid debit cards.
The IRS warns residents to be suspicious of callers who identify themselves as debt collectors on behalf of the IRS. When a taxpayer’s account is transferred to a debt collection agency, the taxpayer is sent two mail notices from the IRS. The first notice will formalize the debt transfer and the second notice will introduce the collection agency. The IRS does not accept payment via prepaid debit cards and wire transfers and its agents will never insist on such channels. A phone number lookup can help ascertain the legitimacy of a caller demanding debt/tax payments. Victims of debt collector scams should file reports with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) by calling 1(800) 366-4484 or online.
What are Law Enforcement Impersonation Scams?
The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office alerts residents of scammers impersonating sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers. The callers tell their targets that they must pay off outstanding warrants or they will be arrested. They usually say the warrants are for missed court appearances, unpaid tickets, and active investigations. The callers insist on receiving the payments through irregular means such as prepaid debit cards, retail gift cards, and wire transfers. In some instances, they have the victims bring cash to pre-arranged locations.
The GCSO reminds residents that no law enforcement agency will call and demand financial compensation to clear outstanding warrants. These are scams. The GCSO will also never insist on prepaid cards and wire transfers as the only means of accepting payment. These are channels that are favored by fraudsters. If you receive such a call, hang up and contact the GCSO or your local police department directly to make inquiries and file complaints. Reverse phone lookup services can help identify unknown callers attempting impersonation scams.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are telemarketing tools commonly used by sales businesses, political campaigns, and non-profit organizations to contact mass audiences. Robocalls allow these entities to deliver pre-recorded messages directly to consumers. For this same reason, scammers are heavily attracted to robocalls and use them to contact multiple targets with very little human involvement. They can also more aptly disguise themselves as legitimate entities using robocalls, thus increasing their chances of success.
A reverse phone number lookup application can identify if an incoming call is a robocall. Best practices for dealing with illegal robocalls include:
- Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry. Phone numbers listed on this register for 31 days are restricted from receiving unwanted telephone solicitations. If you still receive lots of spam calls after this, it is more likely these are scammers.
- Report illegal robocalls by using the FTC online complaint assistant or call 1 (888) 382-1222. Residents can also find guidelines on blocking unwanted calls on the FTC website.
- Inquire from your service provider about call-blocking and call-filtering services. If these services are free, use them to block and filter spam calls. Smartphones also come with built-in features that can be used to identify and block unwanted numbers. Furthermore, use online reverse phone lookup free services to determine if incoming calls are robocalls and block these phone numbers.
- Hang up a call once you realize it is a robocall. Robocalls try to keep you on the line, so ignore any messages that prompt you to connect to a live operator or remove yourself from a list.
How to Spot and Report Genesee County Phone Scams?
Scammers out to steal financial and identity records routinely come up with new schemes and will target anybody. Education and awareness remain the best means of spotting potential scammers because most new scams are variations of older scams. Knowledge about the workings of scams can help residents identify them before any damage is done.
Online services that run phone searches can assist with suspicious phone number lookups and answer questions like “who is this number registered to?” and “who called? Information retrieved from these applications can be useful when reporting phone scams to the authorities. Applications such as these are available for free and for nominal subscription fees.
Red flags to look out for when you receive calls from persons who may be scammers include:
- Callers supposedly from legitimate entities such as government agencies and financial institutions asking for confidential information such as bank details and SSNs. Legitimate organizations will not request customer details on unsolicited phone calls.
- Calls from supposed law enforcement officers using threats of punitive actions such as arrests and deportations to get you to comply with their demands. Real law enforcement officers will never threaten residents to get them to make payments and provide sensitive information.
- Callers insisting on payments through prepaid debit cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, and other unconventional channels. Funds sent through these channels are difficult to trace and retrieve once they are received. Scammers favor using them for these reasons.
- Strange callers informing you of winnings in foreign lotteries and prize competitions and requesting upfront payments to release the winnings. It is illegal in the U.S. to compete in foreign lotteries and impossible to win prizes in competitions you did not enter.
- Callers offering business/investment opportunities that promise maximum yield and minimum risk and insisting on immediate commitments. These offers are suspicious. Do not trust callers who do not allow you time to consider their investment proposals, claiming the time on the offers is limited.
If you have been a victim of a phone scam in Genesee County, you can contact any of these agencies for assistance:
Michigan Attorney General Office - The Michigan Attorney General protects consumers against the actions of scammers. The Consumer Protection Division provides advocacy on behalf of consumers in the state. They regularly issue alerts and give information on prevalent scams in the state. Victims of phone scams can file reports with the AG’s Office online. Residents can also file reports on illegal robocalls with the AG’s Office.
Genesee County Prosecutor - The Prosecuting Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer of Genesee County. The Consumer Protection Unit of the Prosecutor’s Office provides information and tips on spotting and avoiding scams. Residents can contact the Prosecutor’s Office at (810) 257-3210 or 1 (888) 443-1505.
Local Law Enforcement - The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) and the other municipal police departments in the county provide information on phones to county residents. Residents who are victims of phone scams can file reports with the GCSO at (810) 257-3422 and contact their local police departments.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - The FTC is the federal authority that protects against fraudulent and duplicitous acts in the marketplace. It developed several consumer protection policies such as the National Do Not Call Registry. Phone numbers are restricted from receiving telephone solicitations after being listed for 31 days. File complaints about illegal robocalls and other phone scams with the online complaint assistant or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - The FCC is the federal authority regulating interstate and international communication. They provide resources to help residents identify caller ID spoofing and block unwanted calls. The FCC has mandated all major phone carriers to install a more robust caller authentication system on their networks to deal with call spoofing. Victims of call spoofing and other phone scams can file online reports with the FCC.