Americans lost more than $326 million from scam texts alone last year, and fraudsters are using increasingly extreme tactics to get them to hand over their personal information. Analysis by hoax calls by data search firm BeenVerified has uncovered the top phone scam area code number for each state across the country. The organization collated more than 150,000 phone numbers reported by users of its reverse phone tool in the past 2 years. The tool allows users to look up a mystery number to find out who’s behind an unknown call or text, and to help them decide whether or not to respond. Out of the more than 150,000 suspicious numbers analyzed by BeenVerified, the company revealed the top 12 numbers across the nation that were most commonly reported as scams. The map below shows the area code in each state that should be avoided. There are also 12 scam numbers that you should never answer. Consumers must remain vigilant when it comes to phone calls and text messages, and these tools will help them recognize numbers to avoid.
