What are Wyandotte County Area Codes?
A single area code covers all of Wyandotte County. This is area code 913. An area code is the three digits that designates a numbering plan area (NPA). Area codes were introduced in the United States when AT&T introduced the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) to unify telephone exchange switching systems on the continent. When introduced in 1947, the NANP led to the introduction of 86 area codes for the United States. With these, it became easier and cost-effective for American phone networks to route long-distance calls across different exchanges. In a typical American phone number with 10 digits, the first three digits represent the area code for the geographical area where the phone number was issued.
Area Code 913
Area code 913 covers northeastern Kansas and serves eight counties along the state’s border with Missouri. It is one of the original 86 area codes introduced in the country in 1947 and was split to create area code 785 in 1997. Communities in Wyandotte County covered by area code 913 include Kansas City, Edwardsville, and Bonner Springs.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Wyandotte County?
As with the rest of the state, most of the residents of Wyandotte County have made the switch from landline phones to wireless phones. In a 2018 survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics to study this trend in the nation, the results showed that 64.6% of the adult population of Kansas solely used wireless phone services for telecommunication. The survey also revealed that 3.4% of adults in the state still relied solely on landline phone services. The same wireless substitution trend was also observed among minors in the state. For this demographic, the divide between wireless-only and landline-only users was wider. The results showed that 77.2% of Kansas residents under the age of 18 used wireless phone services exclusively while a tiny (0.7%) fraction of the population still used landline phones only.
Residents of Wyandotte County can sign up for cell phone plans from national and regional carriers. All the major telephone service providers offer network service in Kansas. AT&T and Verizon lead the pack with over 99% coverage of the state. T-Mobile’s network is available in 92% of Kansas while Sprint only covers 24.6% of the state.
Regional carriers, also known as MVNOs, are smaller carriers that rely on the network infrastructure of the major players to offer phone services. These Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) buy network services in bulk from major carriers and resell them to those living in the areas they serve. They can offer more affordable cell phone plans because they pass on some of the savings from their bulk purchases to their subscribers.
VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol, phone services make up a third option for residents of Wyandotte County. VoIP enables phone calls by transmitting audio and video signals over the internet as data packets. For residents and businesses with broadband internet access, VoIP offers the most affordable phone plans especially for long-distance calls and teleconferencing needs.
What are Wyandotte County Phone Scams?
These are fraudulent schemes run by scammers targeting residents of Wyandotte County. Such telephone frauds are committed with the aim of defrauding unsuspecting residents or stealing confidential identity and financial information from them. Phone scammers contact their targets with calls and text messages. They may use advanced phone tools and services such as robocalls, phishing, and caller ID spoofing.
To stay ahead of scammers and avoid phone scams, residents of Wyandotte County should be aware of telephone frauds in their communities. They should also use helpful tools such as call blocking and reverse phone number lookup to avoid scams and scammers. The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Kansas Attorney General publishes annual reports about commonly reported scams in the state. According to the latest report, the most common scams in Kansas are COVID-19 scams, SSA scams, computer repair scams, and health insurance scams.
What are Wyandotte County COVID-19 Scams?
These scams prey on the public’s fear and misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. Scammers may contact their victims by text messages informing them they have been in contact with people who tested positive with COVID and need to click on links in these messages for further information. Such links only take them to malicious websites where scammers request for and steal their identity and financial information. In other COVID-19 scams, fraudsters’ text messages and phone calls promise their victims fast-tracked access to personal protective equipment, bogus cure, or COVID-19 vaccines. Some scammers call their victims to inform them they qualify for federal stimulus checks but need to provide their bank account or credit card information to receive them.
The Attorney General warns residents not to believe anyone calling to request money or sensitive information before providing help during the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents can also find out more about strange callers by submitting their phone numbers for reverse phone lookups. These searches may reveal that the callers are not affiliated with the government agents they claim to represent or not even living in the country.
What are Wyandotte County SSA Scams?
Like COVID-19 scams, Social Security Administration (SSA) scams are also impostor scams. These telephone frauds involve scammers calling and claiming to be employees of the SSA. They often use robocalls to inform a lot of phone users that their social security benefits are about to end unless they renew them. They ask for their victims to send them money to keep these benefits going. Residents of Wyandotte County should know that the SSA will never call to inform them they will cut off their benefits or ask for money for these benefits.
Like most robocalls, SSA scammers may ask their targets to press certain numbers on their keypads to stop receiving calls from them. Do not follow this prompt as it will only lead to more unwanted calls from scammers and spammers. Use a free reverse phone lookup to investigate the unknown number and identify the caller. Even if your phone’s caller ID shows a call as coming from the SSA, hang up as soon as you discover it is a robocall.
What are Wyandotte County Computer Repair Scams?
These scams begin with fraudsters calling to offer tech support. They claim they are from well-known tech companies and have detected viruses on their victims’ computers. They then request remote access to these machines to remove the viruses. However, after gaining access they install malware on their victims’ computers. These may be viruses, spyware, or other malware that steal passwords and confidential information. In sophisticated attacks, the scammers install ransomware on their victims’ computers and demand they pay significant amounts of money before restoring their access to their own files.
Residents of Wyandotte County must not give remote access to their computers to strangers. If they suspect their machines are infected with viruses, they should rather take them to local computer repair shops. Unmasking computer repair scams can be as easy as running the numbers used by these fraudsters through suspicious phone number lookup services. The search results will confirm that the numbers are not registered to the tech companies they scammers claim to represent.
What are Wyandotte County Health Insurance Scams?
Another group of impostor scams, these involve scammers claiming to represent health insurance companies and government agencies in the healthcare sector. These scammers ask their victims to provide confidential identity information, such as their Social Security numbers, while promising to help them sign up for the best health coverage plans. Some will also ask for payment for health insurance plans by wire transfer or request their victims’ checking account information to arrange bank drafts.
Kansas’ Attorney General warns residents not to provide their confidential information over the phone to strangers offering health insurance plans. Government officials working for the SSA and Medicare do not call residents asking for such information or money. They establish correspondence with letters rather than phone calls. When contacted by a stranger claiming to represent these organizations or selling health insurance plans, use a phone number lookup to verify their identity. Do not call them back by redialing their number from your phone. Rather, call with the official number listed on your last health insurance statement.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls and spam calls are unwanted and unsolicited bulk phone calls placed to large groups of phone users. A robocall is an automated phone call placed by an auto-dialer playing back a pre-recorded message. This message is usually recorded with a voice synthesizer. In contrast, a spam call is usually placed by an actual human following a prepared script of a sales pitch.
When they were first introduced, robocalls were used by political offices, telemarketers, and public organizations sending out public service announcements. These calls allow such groups to reach a lot of people quickly and affordably. The same benefits make robocalls attractive to scammers. These days, most of the calls received by residents of Wyandotte County are robocalls and spam calls. While state and federal governments are making movies to enable better caller ID authentication systems to kill of illegal robocalls and spam calls, residents should protect themselves from these unsolicited calls by taking the following steps:
- Let calls from unknown numbers and callers go to voicemail. Review the messages left and decide which ones to return
- Hang up on a call as soon as you realize it is a robocall or spam call
- Do not follow instructions given during such calls about removing your number from their call lists. Following such prompts will only confirm that your line is active while the fraudsters behind such calls sell your number to scammers and spammers
- Set up your phone to block calls from unknown numbers or certain blacklisted numbers. Smartphones have this feature built into their call apps. Carriers also offer call blocking services to their subscribers. There are also reputable third-party apps that filter calls from numbers flagged by users as associated with spammers and scammers
- Identify unknown repeat callers with suspicious phone number lookup searches. This is a useful step when determining whether such callers are spammers, scammers, or stalkers. You can use the information obtained when filing a report with law enforcement
- Sign up your phone numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry to stop robocalls from legitimate telemarketers. All telemarketing calls received after 31 days of joining this register are illegal and likely from scammers and dishonest telemarketers
How to Spot and Report Wyandotte County Phone Scams
New phone scams are simply old scams in new tricks. Fraudsters give them a fresh coat to convince unsuspecting residents that they are genuine offers. In addition to using phone number lookup, staying informed about phone scams is also important to avoiding them. Residents of Wyandotte County should keep learning about emerging scams in their communities. Such pieces of information are provided by the state’s Attorney General as well as local law enforcement. These residents should look out for the following red flags to spot phone scams before they become victims:
- Request for payment by cash, wire transfer, prepaid debit card, gift card, or cryptocurrency. Government agencies, utility companies, the IRS, debt collectors, and reputable private organizations do not ask for payment via such unofficial channels
- Use of threat to obtain compliance. Threat is a common thread in impostor scams. While impersonating authority figures, fraudsters are quick to threaten their victims with immediate arrests, jail, deportation, and revocation of their drivers’ or business licenses. Legitimate law enforcement agents and government officials do not threaten residents over the phone
- Creating a sense of urgency. Scammers selling low-risk, high-reward investment, business, and travel offers want their victims to sign up quickly before they can see through their lies. They use high-pressure sales tactics such as claiming their offers are only available for a limited time or claiming prices are due to skyrocket soon
- Refusal to provide proper documentation. Fraudsters cannot provide written documentation backing their claims and identities because they do not want a paper trail tracing back to them
Whether successful or not, phone scams should be reported immediately. Residents of Wyandotte County can help law enforcement and consumer protection agencies see emerging phone scam trends by reporting telephone frauds. Such reports are also useful for identifying, locating, and apprehending fraudsters as well as for educating the public about how scammers operate. Wyandotte County residents can report phone scams to the following agencies:
- The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Kansas Attorney General - the state’s consumer protection agency investigates phone scams and prosecutes violations of the Consumer Protection Act, the No-Call Act, the Charitable Organization and Solicitations Act, the Kansas False Claims Act, and the Wayne Owen Act guarding against identity theft. Residents of Wyandotte County can file scam complaints with this Division online
- The Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office - the chief law officer in the county also protects residents from deceptive acts and unconscionable practices involved in consumer frauds. Call the DA’s Office at (913) 573-2980 to report a phone scam. Residents can also use the links provided on the DA’s website to report scams to the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas City Police Department, and other local police departments in the county
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - the federal consumer protection agency can also protect residents of the county against unfair and deceptive business practices. It investigates consumer disputes and claims of frauds against individuals and organizations engaging in any form of trade transactions. Report a consumer or trade scam to the FTC by calling (877) 382-4357 or submitting a fraud complaint online
- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - this is the federal agency responsible for monitoring and regulating all communications in the US. Its roles include investigating and prosecuting the illegal use of phone tools and services. Report illegal robocalls and scams involving caller ID spoofing, phishing, and spam calls to the FCC’s Consumer Complaint Center