📲 Several area codes are frequent scam alerts

🚩 There are different kinds of scam calls used

🚫 Apps can help block suspicious calls, texts


Federal and state law enforcement have been ratcheting up the pressure against phone scammers, with a well-named “Operation Stop Scam Calls” initiative.

The Federal Trade Commission and more than 100 partners nationwide, including New Jersey’s attorney general and his peers in 49 states, last year cracked down on illegal telemarketing calls.

Efforts have been aimed at telemarketers, the companies that hire them and lead generators who collect and provide consumers’ phone numbers to robocallers.

This summer, law enforcement authorities in South Jersey warned residents about calls from numbers that identified as police agencies or courts.

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In East Brunswick Police Department, residents received suspicious messages containing their names, addresses and phone numbers as well as Google street view images of their homes.

READ MORE: Watch out for these common scams

Ignore these calls, NJ! Area codes you should never pick up

While dodging scam calls can feel a bit like playing “Wack a mole” on the boardwalk, there are some area codes that are giant red flags, as collected by the Better Business Bureau and socialcatfish.com:

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

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