In the event that you have received calls from phone numbers with the area code “844”, you will most likely be disappointed to learn that it is either an official company phone call or a scam call. The area code ‘844’ is a legitimate number that is used within the United States. This area code is not associated with a specific geographic location but is instead available as a toll-free number that can be reached from anywhere in the world.
To learn more about toll-free numbers, how the ‘844’ area code came to be, and how to figure out whether a call is from a legitimate company or a scammer trying to defraud you, continue reading this article.
What Are Toll-Free Numbers?
For those unfamiliar with the term, toll-free phone numbers are numbers with a unique three-digit code that can be phoned from landlines without incurring any charges to the person making the call. Callers can use these numbers to reach companies and individuals who are located outside of the local area without incurring a long-distance charge for the call.
What Area Codes Belong to Toll-Free Numbers?
According to the Federal Communications Commission, toll-free numbers are those with area codes of 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833. It is important to remember that toll-free area codes are not interchangeable with regular area codes. Consequently, dialing an 800 number rather than an 844 number will result in you reaching someone other than the person you intended to reach.
How to Tell if It Is a Legitimate Caller?
In recent years, the number of phone scammers who dial hundreds, if not thousands, of numbers per day in an attempt to defraud someone out of their hard-earned money, or for other nefarious purposes, has increased exponentially, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
For a long time, toll-free numbers were only provided to legitimate, verifiable organizations. In today’s world, however, you can spoof or fake just about any phone number you want, and scammers are particularly adept at doing so.
In order to avoid becoming a victim of a phone scam, you should take the following precautionary measures: First and foremost, remember that you should never, ever give out personal or identifiable information to anyone over the telephone.
Legitimate businesses will rarely if ever, ask for such information, particularly credit card information. However, if the company claims to be legitimate, you should request written proof of who they are and what they want. When in doubt, however, it is best to just not answer the call and let it go to voicemail.
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