What are Outagamie County Area Codes?
Outagamie county area codes are the unique three-digit numbers at the beginning of phone numbers issued in the county. Area codes are designated by the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and identify specific Numbering Plan Area (NPA) in a state. Currently, area codes 715 and 920 serve Outagamie County. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin manages and assigns area codes in Wisconsin.
Area Code 715
Area code 715 is one of Wisconsin's earliest area codes created in 1947, covering several counties in the state, including Outagamie County. The only Outagamie County community within this NPA is Bear Creek.
Area Code 920
Split from the 414 NPA in 1997, area code 920 covers most counties in Wisconsin. Outagamie County cities and villages within the 920 NPA include Kaukauna, Nichols, Seymour, Shiocton, Appleton, and Hortonville.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Outagamie County?
All four national carriers and some Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) are present in Outagamie County. AT&T offers the best cell phone coverage at 91.45%, while Verizon has a network spread of 88.63%. T-Mobile ranks third, covering 77.12% of the county, while Sprint trails behind with a 42.8 coverage%.
Wisconsin’s report on phone usage provided by a 2018 CDC survey showed a significant decrease in the use of landlines. Residents tend to enjoy the mobility and ease offered by cell phones over landlines. A mere 4.1% of the adult population used landline phones, while a sizable 54.0% of them had adopted wireless-only services.
Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology allows Outagamie County residents to make phone calls over IP networks, such as broadband internet connections. It provides residents a convenient and more affordable telephony option for both personal and business use. VoIP supports international phone calls at relatively cheap rates and is capable of making automated calls to multiple phone numbers.
What are Outagamie County Phone Scams?
Outagamie County phone scams are the illegal acquisition of unsuspecting residents’ confidential information or money through the aid of telephony services. The emergence of new technologies has helped scammers develop newer scam schemes for extorting county residents. Residents can take advantage of services provided by reverse phone lookup applications to uncover scammers’ identities and avoid scams. Scammers often impersonate legitimate organizations when perpetrating their scam schemes. Common phone scams in Outagamie County include:
What are Outagamie County Imposter Scams?
Imposter scams involve callers who pretend to be representatives of veritable companies and government agencies in Outagamie County to cheat residents out of their money. They make up different stories in an attempt to steal money or obtain information. For instance, they may request payments for renewal or upgrade of services. In the most common variant, scammers claim to be officers of the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office or other federal agencies to threaten residents who fail to comply with their demands with arrest or jail. Although they usually spoof their targets’ Caller IDs, reverse phone lookup free services can help residents identify spoofed phone calls and avoid impersonation scams.
What are Outagamie County Banking Scams?
In banking scams, fraudsters pose as employees of targeted Outagamie County residents’ banks to call them. They often demand confidential information such as PINs, birth dates, and social security numbers for supposed verifications. They often use such information to gain access to their victims’ accounts and withdraw their savings. In other instances, they commit identity theft with whatever details they obtain from their targets. Residents who get such calls can uncover the callers’ identities using phone number search applications. Authorities warn residents never to share personal or financial information with such callers to avoid scams.
What are Tech Support Scams?
Scammers claim to be representatives of popular tech firms such as Apple, Microsoft, or Samsung to contact Outagamie County residents to rip them off. The callers often allege problems with their targets’ accounts or claim there are viruses on their computers that must be removed. They usually fool marks into complying with their demands by informing them they will lose all their files unless there is a prompt intervention and at a fee. The scammers will then ask for remote access to such computers. Once they have access, they will fake fixing the issues and afterward demand payments for such phony repairs. These fraudsters favor credit cards, wire transfers, or gift cards as channels of receiving payment. Sometimes, they may ask their targets to provide credit card numbers and PINs to complete payment.
These scammers take advantage of remote access to deploy malware on their victims’ PCs for future identity theft. Law enforcement warns Outagamie County residents to be wary of these scams and hang up their phones when contacted with such claims. Phone search applications can help residents uncover the real identities of unknown callers and prevent them from falling victim to tech support scams.
What are Outagamie County Charity Scams?
Scammers set up fake charity organizations to solicit donations from unsuspecting Outagamie County residents and divert realized contributions for personal use. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides a tax-exempt organization database listing all government-approved charities in an effort to combat charity scams. These scams are mostly rampant after disasters or during pandemics. It is possible to identify these scams using search engines that offer free reverse phone lookup services. Residents should be wary about making donations over the phone, especially if they have not verified the callers. If you receive a call soliciting donations, confirm it is legitimate by asking that the organization send details for review via regular mail. The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office advises residents to diligently research charities before sending donations.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are phone calls that use auto-dialers to deliver pre-recorded robotic-sounding information to several phone numbers at the same time. Spam calls are unwanted calls sent to phone users without prior consent. Robocalls are a form of spam calls. They are used in political and advertisement campaigns to reach a mass audience. However, they have been adopted by scammers in their various schemes to boost their success rates.
Scammers use robocalls to steal targets’ money and personal information. Robocalls made to sell services or products are illegal without recipients’ written permission. Businesses are required by law to obtain individuals’ consent before engaging them with robocalls. Reverse phone number lookup services can identify robocalls and prevent Outagamie County residents from falling victim to robocall scams.
The following are the best responses to avoiding robocall scams:
- Hang up your phone as soon as you realize a call is a robocall.
- Once you identify a call to be a robocall or spam call using online applications that provide free reverse phone number lookups, block it immediately from future calls. Third-party call-blocking applications will help in this regard.
- Add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry. Any unsolicited call that comes through your phone after registration is probably a scam.
- Report robocall abuse online to the FTC or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222
How Can You Spot and Report Outagamie County Phone Scams?
Scammers in Outagamie County rely heavily on their ability to fool targeted residents into believing they are with familiar government agencies or veritable businesses. Residents can avoid being duped in common scams if they know how to identify the warning signs. Reverse number lookup applications offer a means to retrieve the identities of suspicious callers and can prevent residents from falling prey to scams. Common red flags of phone scams in Outagamie County include:
- The caller emphasizes receiving payment via gift cards, cash load cards, prepaid cards, or wire transfers.
- The caller claims to be with a familiar government agency and requests personal information such as social security numbers. Legitimate employees of government agencies will never request such over the phone.
- The caller claims you have won prizes in lottery competitions you did not enter and asks you to pay some money to redeem such gifts.
- The caller resorts to threats after various attempts to get you to comply with their demands. Scammers often scare their targets with arrest, jail, and deportation.
It is essential to report phone scam incidents to relevant authorities. Several public agencies are involved in the fight against the phone scam menace in Outagamie County, and they all provide reporting platforms. They include:
Outagamie County Sheriff's Office - Residents who are phone scam victims can visit the Sheriff’s Office at 3030 E. Goodland Drive, Appleton, WI, 54911 to report in person. Alternatively, they can contact the Sheriff’s Office at (920) 832-5605.
Federal Communications Commission - Outagamie County residents who fall victim to illegal and spoofed robocalls can file complaints with the FCC online or call 1 (888) 225-532.
Federal Trade Commission - The FTC manages the National Do Not Call List and encourages residents to register their phone numbers to reduce robocall inundation. Outagamie County residents can report robocall scams and other phone scams with the FTC online or by calling 1 (888) 382-1222.
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trading and Consumer Protection - The DATCP is the primary consumer protection agency in Wisconsin. Outagamie County residents who believe they are phone scam victims can file complaints with the DATCP by calling (608) 224-4953 or online.