What are Kent County Area Codes?
Area codes are the string of three-digit numbers that distinguish each Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs) in North American telephone service areas. As designed by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), the Kent County area code is introduced at the beginning of all ten-digit phone numbers registered in the county. The Delaware Public Service Commission (PSC) manages the area code in Delaware as approved by the FCC. Only one area code currently serves Kent County. This area code also covers the other counties in Delaware.
Area Code 302
Area code 302 is the only area code serving all of Delaware, including Kent County. It is one of the original 86 area codes introduced into service in 1947. In Kent County, the 302 NPA includes Dover, Frederica, Clayton, Smyrna, Felton, Wyoming, and Harrington.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Kent County?
Kent County residents enjoy network services by the major national phone carriers and are also served by some Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Each network provider offers varying service coverage and network quality in the different parts of the county. In the City of Dover, T-Mobile claims the best network coverage at 98%, while Verizon covers 76% of the county. Sprint has a 68% network spread, while AT&T has no presence, although it does in other parts of the county.
The 2018 CDC survey infers that Delawareans are fast adopting wireless telephony. The data obtained from the report revealed that about 45.9% of the adult population used wireless-only telephony services, and only 4.0% of them still used landline-only services. Wireless telephony services utilization is more pronounced among the state's under-18 population, with more than 50.0% of them having adopted cell phones as their sole telephony devices.
In addition to traditional telephone services provided by cell phone carriers, Kent County residents also enjoy Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as an alternative telephony means. VoIP technology routes communication between users over reliable internet connections in real online time. Its services are more affordable than regular phone services. VoIP supports video conferencing, text messaging, multimedia messaging, and voice calls.
What are Kent County Phone Scams?
Kent County phone scams operate using telephone services such as robocalls, live phone calls, and text messages to dupe county residents. Residents can avoid these scams using reverse phone number lookup applications to search the identities of persons behind strange inbound calls. Phone scammers seldom use their phone numbers when preying on their targets. Instead, they spoof marks' Caller IDs to display the official phone numbers of legitimate entities or government agencies and mislead them into responding. However, free reverse phone lookup applications can identify spoofed calls and prevent residents who use them often to avoid phone scams.
Elderly residents are the most vulnerable to phone scams. Consequently, the Delaware Attorney General’s Office (AG) champions a senior protection initiative to promote scam awareness among elderly residents. Younger residents can also learn from this initiative to protect themselves from scams. The AG office is the primary consumer protection in Delaware. At the federal level, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) combats the menace of phone scams.
The following phone scams are the order of the day in Kent County:
What are Kent County Arrest Warrant Scams?
The strange thing about arrest warrant scam schemes is that residents who have not committed any offense fall victim once threatened with extreme actions. If you receive an unexpected phone call from someone who claims to be with the Kent County Sheriff's Office (KCSO), confirm the caller's authenticity using a phone number lookup application. Doing that will reveal if they are with the Sheriff's Office or just out to dupe you. Typically, the callers will say they are deputies of the KCSO and claim that arrest warrants have been issued in their marks' names, an attempt to cheat them out of their money. They will inform targets that law enforcement is already out to execute their immediate arrests but can cancel such arrests if they make certain payments promptly. They are usually aggressive and often threaten jail or deportation upon arrest to get their targets to comply quickly with their demands. Their preferred means of receiving payment include gift cards and wire transfers. They may keep victims on the phone to ensure prompt payment and prevent them from calling other people or the Sheriff's Office. In some instances, they make arrangements to pick up cash or ask their victims to mail the cash.
Legitimate officers of the KCSO do not solicit payment to cancel arrest warrants or threaten residents with arrest or jail over the phone. The agency urges residents who receive these types of phone solicitations to end such phone calls. If there is indeed a warrant for your arrest, law enforcement will not call to inform you. These scammers sometimes spoof their targets' Caller IDs while impersonating law enforcement, but phone lookup search engines can help you identify spoofed calls and avoid these scams.
What are Kent County Tech Support Scams?
Reverse phone lookup services can help Kent County residents recognize and avoid fraudsters who employ tech support scam schemes to extort naive persons. Tech support scams involve scammers who pretend to be technical representatives of their targets' computer companies. They often claim to have detected viruses on their marks' PCs during routine checks and warn that they must be removed without delay to avoid file loss. The scammers will request their targets to grant them remote access to such computers and promise to halt imminent losses. In reality, these scammers do nothing other than searching the computers for confidential information once granted access. After exploring, they will assure their victims that all issues have been fixed and then request payment, without which they will not release control on such PCs. Tech support scammers favor wire transfers, credit cards (they ask for PINs to initiate and complete payments), and gift cards as mediums of receiving payments.
In another variant of these scams, fraudsters take advantage of the access granted to their targets' computers to deploy malware and then continually glean confidential information. Scammers use such information to commit identity and financial fraud persistently. Be wary of these scams and terminate such phone calls when you receive them. You can find out who called by running such callers' phone numbers through phone lookup applications. Legitimate Tech firms do not initiate repair engagements over the phone and will never ask you to grant them remote access to your computer. Do not disclose your credit card information to anyone, familiar or unknown, over the phone to avoid scams.
What are Kent County Government Grant Scams?
The FTC warns the general public never to pay unknown persons who call and promise them free government grants. If you receive such a phone call, search the caller's phone number using a phone number search application to uncover their identity and ascertain if they are who they claim to represent. In most cases, the scammers identify themselves as officials of government agencies that administer grants, making up official-sounding names. They aim to obtain their targets' confidential information and trick them into paying money. These scammers deceive their marks by informing them they qualify for some government grants that do not require repayment. They usually instruct residents to pay some fees to enable them to speed up the processing of such grants. Typically, they request payment via wire transfers and gift cards. The callers will also request personal information and bank account details where they will supposedly deposit such money.
Do not be deceived by unknown callers who solicit money to enroll you in government grant schemes because legitimate agencies will never do that. Never share your personal information or send money to them. You can verify their identities using reverse phone lookup applications. The United States government publishes personal assistance benefits online, and Kent County can look this up to avoid falling victim to grant scams.
What are Kent County Debt Collection Scams?
Scammers are pretending to be with legitimate debt collection agencies to cheat unsuspecting Kent County residents out of their money. Typically, debt collection agencies take over bad debts from creditors and chase after repayment by debtors. Fraudsters take advantage of this process to institute debt collection scams. Such collection efforts are illegal, and residents should beware of this. You can foil these scammers' attempts using reverse phone number lookup services to uncover their identities. When they call their targets, these scammers will inform them that they have certain delinquent debts even when they do not. They often sound convincing and make demands confidently. The fraudsters usually request immediate payment, failure, which they threaten targets with arrest. They usually accept payment by gift cards and wire transfers. In some instances, the scammers will threaten to disclose such debts to their marks' employees if they do not pay promptly.
If you indeed have a bad debt and receive this type of call, ask to know its value and the name of your creditor. Typically, fraudulent debt collectors will not provide accurate information. Doing this and conducting a number lookup can help you ascertain that such a caller is only out to defraud you. Regardless of their threats, never give in to them or pay them. Kent County residents can report incidents of debt collection scams to their local law enforcement agency.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated calls that convey pre-recorded information to a large number of phone numbers. Like spam calls, most robocalls are unsolicited, intrusive, and inundating. They make the bulk of consumer complaints at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) yearly. Using applications offering reverse cell phone lookups, residents can determine if incoming calls from unknown phone numbers are robocalls or spam calls. It is rare for any resident not to receive at least one robocall daily. With spam calls, fraudsters usually attempt to sell fake products and services without the recipients' consent. These calls are illegal, and they aim to steal targeted residents' money and personal information.
If you want to avoid robocall scams, your best options include:
- Join the Do Not Call Registry online or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222 from the phone number you intend to enroll. Your chances of falling victim to scams perpetrated using robocalls are slim once you register your phone number on the registry.
- Reject calls from unfamiliar phone numbers. If you answer a call from an unknown phone number and then realize it is a robocall, hang up immediately to avoid falling victim to scams.
- Register complaints about robocall abuse online with the FTC or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
- Use call-blocking services provided by your phone company to block robocall numbers once you identify them. You can also use the call-blocking mobile applications provided by third-party developers to bar spam numbers.
How Can You Spot and Report Kent County Phone Scams?
Scammers target unsuspecting Kent County residents to steal money and confidential information. Residents should consider all phone calls from unknown numbers as potential scam calls and exercise caution when answering them. Phone number search applications can provide answers to your concerns on, “who is this number registered to?” and “who called me?” Understanding the trends of phone scams in Kent County can help residents identify scam calls and prevent them from falling victim.
If you observe the following in a phone call with an unknown person, it is probably a scam call:
- The caller requests personal information or money and becomes aggressive while threatening arrests and other punitive actions if you do not comply. Legitimate authorities do not issue threats over the phone.
- The caller asks you to pay them by unusual means, such as gift cards and wire transfers. Scammers favor these payment channels and will usually insist on them.
- The caller presents opportunities that require immediate action, which usually involves parting with money.
- The caller congratulates you on winning prizes but informs you that you must pay specific fees to redeem them. You do not have to pay a dime if such winnings are real.
- Receiving robocalls despite having your phone number on the DNC list.
Reverse phone number lookup services can retrieve information on scammers that can be used in reporting phone scams incidents. Kent County residents can report cases of phone scams to any of the following public agencies:
Delaware Attorney General’s Office - The Consumer Protection Unit (CPU) of the AG office provides an online complaint form for reporting phone scam cases.
Kent County Sheriff's Office - The KCSO investigates reported cases of phone scams in the County. Residents who are victims of phone scams can file reports with the KCSO by calling (302) 736-2161 or visiting them at 555 Bay Rd Dover, DE 19901.
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC protects residents whose phone numbers are listed on the National Do Not Call Registry from robocall abuse. Residents can report incidents of illegal robocalls to the FTC online or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222.
Federal Communications Commission - Kent County residents can file phone scams complaints online with the FCC. The FCC provides consumer alerts and tips on stopping robocalls and avoiding phone spoofing.