What are Washington County Area Codes?
An area code is a three-digit code that separates geographical areas within the North America Numbering Plan (NANP). These three-digit codes precede seven-digit local telephone numbers when dialing calls between areas. An area code helps identify the origin and destination of a phone call. You can find the area code of an area in the United States by using area code lookup tools online.
Only one area code serves Washington County - Area code 651
Area Code 651
Area code 651 was created from area code 612 and was first used on July 12, 1998. Area code 651 is the only area code that serves Eagan, Woodbury, St. Paul. It also serves Maplewood, Cottage Grove, Roseville, Oakdale, Shoreview, White Bear Lake, and Hastings Cities.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Washington County?
A primary component to consider when choosing which cell phone plan to purchase in Washington County is the reception quality. While you may not be required to pay over the odds for a particular cell phone plan, it will not help much if the reception is limited in your location. Most nationwide carriers have strong signal strength across the nation, and Washington County is not an exception. Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T all have a strong wireless presence in Washington County.
In the county seat of Stillwater, Verizon has the best coverage with a relative score of 94 compared to other providers. T-Mobile has a 90% score, Sprint 76%, while AT&T has a rated overall score of 70%. County residents are not restricted to wireless plans from the major national carriers. Washington County also has alternate, smaller carriers, referred to as MVNOs. Mobile Virtual Network Operators use the larger carriers' networks, so coverage is still strong when you go with a smaller carrier.
Although VoIP has been around for more than a decade, lately, its use has become more commonplace, and an ever-growing number of Washington County residents and business owners are switching over to it. With Voice over Internet Protocol, calls are electronically encoded and sent over IP networks. You can make and receive VoIP calls wherever a broadband internet connection is available. According to a recent survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2018, 56.2% of persons above the age of 18 in Minnesota used wireless-only telephony service, while 4.4% used landline-only telephony service. The survey also revealed that among individuals below the age of 18, 63.2% used wireless-only telephony service, while only 1.9% used landline telephony service exclusively.
What are Washington County Phone Scams?
Washington County phone scams are deceptive activities of fraudsters perpetrated using phone calls to trick Washington County residents into parting with their personal information or money. Scammers use several tricks to scare their targets into releasing valuables. The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota Attorney General's Office publish regular alerts for popular scams in Washington County and Minnesota. Common phone scams in Washington County include unemployment compensation scams, tax scams, fake check scams, and grandparent scams. Phone lookup applications can help unmask the real identities of phone scammers.
What are Washington County Unemployment Compensation Scams?
With unemployment reaching record highs in recent history in Washington County and Minnesota, the state Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has been inundated with thousands of unemployment insurance applications. The surge in applications and the increase in weekly unemployment compensation available through the CARES Act have created an incentive for con artists to attempt to obtain unemployment compensation using stolen personal information.
In a Washington County employment scam, the caller asks the target to complete interview questions over the phone or by clicking a link sent by text to the target's telephone line. The questions are designed to tactfully obtain the target's address, name, bank information, and Social Security number. Upon obtaining this information, the fraudster uses the stolen information to apply for or receive unemployment compensation through DEED. Phone lookup applications can help uncover the true identities of scam callers.
What are Washington County Tax Scams?
In this scam, a fraudster poses as an employee of the Internal Revenue Service, United States Department of the Treasury, or a law enforcement agency, and demands a large payment on back taxes or some other supposed debts. Typically, the con artist intimidates or threatens you with arrest, imprisonment, or legal action to pressure you into making an immediate payment. In other variations of this scam, the fraudster may demand your bank account information which will be later used to steal your money. Some tax scammers also ask their victims to send money via wire transfers, gift cards, or prepaid debit cards. Upon receiving the money, the con artist disappears, and the money is lost for good.
Note that callers who pose as IRS employees often reel out fake names and IRS badges to sound real. The real IRS does not contact taxpayers through unsolicited emails, text messages, or social media. The IRS's main source of contact is by mail. If you think you might owe taxes, call (800) 829-1040, and an IRS employee will help with any payment issues. Washington County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.
What are Washington County Grandparent Scams?
As suggested by the name, grandparent scams are targeted at grandparents or elderly targets. The caller may begin by saying "Hi grandma, do you know who this is?" The unsuspecting grandparent guesses the name of the grandchild that the scammer sounds like, and the scammer establishes that identity. The fake grandchild typically asks for money to solve an emergency such as getting out of jail, fixing a broken car on a dangerous road, and paying a hospital bill. Financial help is requested through Western Union or Money Gram which do not always require identification to collect. Many of these scammers also instruct seniors to obtain reloadable prepaid cards, such as "Green Dot." Green Dot cards are prepaid credit cards available for purchase in most stores and can be reloaded up to $500 at a time. You can use a reverse cell phone lookup tool to verify if a caller’s identity matches the name given.
What are Washington County Fake Check Scams?
In fake check scams, Washington County residents receive cashier's checks, money orders, or other checking instruments from persons that they do not know and are asked to wire part of the cashed amounts back to the senders or third parties. In cases where the checks are cashed, unsuspecting county residents wire payments to con artists before discovering that the checks were fraudulent.
Although many people believe cashier’s checks and money orders are more secure than other forms of payment and their funds are somehow guaranteed, that is not the case if the documents are fake. A check is not worth the paper it is printed on until the bank it was issued from releases the money. While federal rule requires banks to make deposits available to consumers quickly, often by the following business day, it may take a bank a few weeks to discover that the deposited check was fraudulent. That is, although the funds may be available in your account within days of the deposit, the check may take weeks to bounce or clear. Fraudsters prey on county residents who mistakenly believe that once the funds are available, the checks are legitimate. Reverse phone number lookup applications can prevent residents from falling victim to phone scams.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are prerecorded messages delivered through automatic dialing announcing devices (ADADs) to telephone subscribers. ADADs store thousands of phone numbers and can dial them automatically. The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) largely restricts the use of automatic dialers to reach telephone subscribers without having obtained express permission from the end targets. Exceptions include when schools contact students, parents, and employees with important information and when public bodies disseminate public service announcements.
Robocalls are also used by scammers to make unsolicited calls to Washington County residents in order to trick them into parting with sensitive information or money. These are spam calls and are illegal according to state and federal laws. To limit the chances of being fleeced by robocalls placed by scammers, you may use reverse phone lookup tools to verify the identity of incoming calls.
Other steps to take to stop robocalls include:
- Do not answer calls from unknown numbers. Let them go to voicemail
- Hang up on robocalls. If you hear a recorded message after answering a call. Hang up immediately. Do not hit a button to stop receiving calls. Scammers often use these tricks to identify and then target live respondents
- If you receive a scam call, write down the number and file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC can help identify and take appropriate action to help consumers targeted by illegal callers.
- Ask your phone service provider if it offers a robocall blocking service.
- Consider registering your telephone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry.
- Download a free call-blocking application from your mobile phone application store. Examples include Hiya, Nomorobo, and Truecaller.
How to Spot and Report Washington County Phone Scams?
Calls from people trying to steal your money, personal data, or financial information are all too common. Con artists usually play the numbers game by ringing hundreds or thousands of people a day until they eventually land on the right persons. It is not always easy to detect a fraudulent call, however, residents can find phone lookup services useful in identifying scam calls. Other signs to look out for during phone calls include:
- The caller pretends to be an employee of an organization you trust and asks for your personal details in a call or a text
- The caller says that you have won a prize or there is money waiting for you if only you pay for shipping, tax, or processing
- The caller calls over and over, making it hard to ignore
- The caller acts like it is an emergency and asks you to transfer money immediately or make a decision on the spot
- The caller threatens you with arrest, imprisonment, or license revocation if you do not transfer funds immediately
- The caller demands payment through specific methods such as wire transfer, prepaid debit card, gift card, and cryptocurrency.
While services that conduct reverse phone number lookups by address, name, and phone number are helpful against phone scams, local, state, and federal institutions are also committed to fighting the scourge of phone scams and provide information and assistance to residents. These include:
- The Washington County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments: If you have received a call from a scammer, you can contact your local police department or the Washington County Sheriff's Office at (651) 439-9381. In the county seat of Stillwater, you can contact the Stillwater Police Department at (651) 351-4900.
- The Office of the Washington County Attorney: If you have been victimized by a scam, you can contact Washington County Attorney. The Minnesota Legislature has given the agency the authority to investigate and prosecute criminal matters. You can contact the Office by calling (651) 430-6115.
- The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office: To report a scam, you can file a report online to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office by using the online fraud report form. You can also contact the Office at (651) 296-3353 (Twin Cities Calling Area) or (800) 657-3787 (Outside the Twin Cities).
- Federal Communications Commission: If you receive unwanted robocalls and text messages, you can file a report online with the FCC.
- Federal Trade Commission - The FTC protects consumers from deceptive and fraudulent practices. You can file a phone scam report with the FTC by completing the online complaint form.
- The United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TITGA): If you have been contacted by an IRS scammer, contact the TITGA by calling the office at (800) 366-4484.