What are Chesterfield County Area Codes?
Area codes refer to the three-digit number prefixes assigned to all phone numbers in North America. The area codes subdivide the United States into geographical regions indicated by these three-digit prefixes. The North American Numbering Plan Administrator manages the distribution of area codes in the United States. They distribute these area codes in accordance with the North American Numbering Plan. The North American Numbering Plan was established to unify the phone numbering scheme of all telephone operators in North America. The Virginia State Corporation Commission handles the distribution of area codes and phone numbers in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Area code 804
The area code 804, which is a split from Virginia’s original area code 703 is the only area code that covers Chesterfield County. The area code was put into service on the 24th of June 1973. The area code covers the eastern central part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. This includes the City of Richmond, which is the capital city of the Commonwealth and several other metropolitan areas in the city. The area code serves an area covering 31 counties and 92 cities.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Chesterfield County?
Several cell phone service providers operate in Chesterfield County. These service providers have different coverage areas and capabilities. Notable amongst the cell phone service providers are AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. These major providers have been scored according to their coverage area. AT&T has a coverage rating of 96%, as it provides not only the best coverage area in the county but also, has competitive phone services plans for calls and data. T-mobile comes in second with a coverage rating of 90%, followed by Verizon with an 84% coverage, and Sprint with a 62% coverage. However, it should be noted that determining the best cell provider is not just a function of the coverage area, it also has to do with the available cell phone plans offered by the service provider. The best and most popular cell phone plans used by residents in Chesterfield County are provided by Verizon, followed by Sprint, then AT&T, and finally T-mobile.
The majority of Chesterfield County residents use either landline or cell phone services. As illustrated in the 2018 survey carried out by the National Center for Health Statistics. It was discovered that 49.1% of adults in the Commonwealth of Virginia relied solely on wireless phone services, compared to 4.9% of adults who relied on landlines exclusively. 15% of adults in the Commonwealth of Virginia used a combination of wireless phone services and landlines. On the other hand, amongst the minors under the age of 18 in Virginia, it was discovered that 62.3% used cell phones exclusively, while 2.3% of the minors used landlines exclusively. Of the total number of minors in Virginia, 9.9% used a combination of landlines and wireless phones. Based on this data it can be deduced that there is a marked generation shift towards the use of wireless phone services compared to traditional landlines.
The decline in the use of traditional telephone services is a result of the ever-increasing reliance on modern communication and telephony services. These modern telephony services are more dynamic and better suited for modern phone users. Modern telephony services allow modern users to call and message with ease and at very cheap rates. One of such telephony services is the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.
The VoIP service also known as Internet Telephony is currently offered by a large number of phone service providers within Chesterfield County. Such telephony services have experienced a significant spike in patronage within Chesterfield County. This is because they significantly reduce the cost of communication services.
What are Chesterfield County Phone Scams?
Chesterfield County phone scams are fraudulent calls initiated by fraudsters, aimed at defrauding residents of Chesterfield County. The fraudsters aim to obtain personal information, financial information, social security numbers, PINs, and other sensitive information about residents of Chesterfield County. They often try to entice their victims in several ways, some of which include offering fake business opportunities with high returns, impersonation of county officials, and promises of love or romance. The Chesterfield County Police and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General have advised that calls from unknown callers should be terminated immediately and properly. Also, residents should desist from giving out personal details over the phone. The law enforcement agencies also advised residents to use phone number search services that help them identify persons that call them.
What are Jury Duty Scams?
These scams target residents of Chesterfield County. The scammers spoof the Caller ID of the Sheriff's Office and randomly call residents of Chesterfield County, claiming to be from the Sheriff’s Office. The scammers inform their targets that there are warrants out for their arrest because they failed to show up for jury duty. The scammers then ask the targets to pay certain amounts of money to avoid going to jail. Often, the scammers request that the victims make payment with prepaid cards, phone cash apps, or sometimes, cash drop offs at specific locations. The Chesterfield Police Department advises residents to always verify with the Clerk Office at the County Courthouse and file police reports if they find the information to be false.
What are Court Scams?
In a court scam, the scammer spoofs the caller ID of a Chesterfield County court. The scammer then goes on to inquire about the target’s location, or demand for personal details from their victims such as social security numbers, or credit card numbers. The county court house has advised residents of Chesterfield County that they would never initiate calls to the residents of Chesterfield County to request payment, unless the residents have previously requested that the court contact them for such payment. They also advised residents that all credit card payments should be made directly at the County Clerk's Office. The Chesterfield County Court has warned residents not to give out personal information to unknown callers. Residents are also advised to use free reverse lookup services to find out who called, when calls come from unknown callers.
What is IRS Tax Phone Scam?
For the IRS scam, the scammer calls a local Chesterfield County resident and poses as an IRS officer, claiming that the resident owes back taxes or has issues with their tax returns. The scammer then capitalizes on the fear of the resident, threatening to sue or arrest the Chesterfield resident. Once the scammer has the resident frightened, they then demand payment for the back taxes. This payment is usually requested in the form of a check, credit card payment, or bank transfer. The IRS has advised citizens that the IRS would never call, email, or text to demand payment. The IRS communicates with Chesterfield County residents solely by mail. In addition, the IRS has suggested that hanging up immediately is the best action to take when dealing with a scam call. Further actions to be taken by the resident include calling the IRS directly on 800-829-1040 and filing a complaint with the Treasury Inspector General of Tax Administration (TIGTA) or 800-366-4484.
What is Covid-19 Relief Scam?
Covid-19 relief scams are phone scams that are perpetrated by fraudsters taking advantage of the anticipated covid-19 relief payments. These scams involve the scammers posing as government officials and calling residents of Chesterfield County to defraud them. They deceitfully obtain personal information and bank account details of residents of the County, under the guise of making direct bank payments for the relief packages. The Virginia Office of the Attorney General has warned citizens of the State to remain vigilant. It also informed State residents that Covid-19 relief payments require no action from residents of the state, as such payment would be made directly into their accounts or mailed directly to their houses.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are pre-recorded or auto-dialed calls sent to wireless numbers or landlines. Robocalls are often used by telemarketers, political campaigns, and nonprofits to communicate to a large number of people in a short period. Many of these robocalls are illegal as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 has placed restrictions on automated unsolicited calls. The act was passed to protect the privacy and public safety interest of phone subscribers. It requires written consent, or recorded consent from phone users before the individuals can be robocalled. The act also makes exemptions for market research, polling calls, and calls made on behalf of nonprofits to be exempted from the restriction.
Scammers have exploited the automated and anonymous nature of these calls to perpetrate financial crimes and obtain the personal information of their victims. Scammers often spoof the caller IDs of legitimate businesses or non profit organizations to commit these scams. Free reverse phone number lookup services are useful in finding the identities of the callers.
As it is almost impossible to avoid receiving robocalls it is important to know what to do to avoid being a victim of such scams. The best options to dealing with illegal robocalls are:
- Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry to avoid unwanted calls
- Avoid calls from unknown phone numbers
- Use an area code lookup service to identify the area code from which the call is coming from.
- Do not follow prompts or respond to questions asked during robocalls.
- Report all fraud cases online to the Federal Trade Commision or call 1-888-382-1222
How Can You Spot and Report Chesterfield County Phone Scams?
With the rise in phone scams being perpetrated in Chesterfield county, relevant county police authority and the State's Attorney General's Office insist that the best way to spot and avoid phone scams is to remain vigilant. They also advise citizens to stay abreast of the methods employed by these scammers to perpetrate these scams. The easiest way to avoid these scams is for residents to avoid picking calls from unknown callers. Most scam calls can be difficult to spot, however here are some guidelines for residents of Chesterfield County to easily identify such calls:
- “If it sounds too good to be true, then it is too good to be true”, as the callers would often offer business opportunities with outrageous return on investment.
- The caller gives a vague description of what their business is about and what products or services they have to offer
- Caller requests to verify information over the phone. Note that most organizations do not call to verify information over the phone
- The caller requests alternate payment channels such as bitcoin, western union, and so on, rather than direct bank account transfers.
- Automated sales calls from organizations that you have not contacted
- The caller does not give you time to think through the offer
On some occasions, residents of Chesterfield county fall victim to phone scams. When this happens residents are advised to report to the relevant authority that handles such issues. Some of the authorities that deal with issues relating to phone scams include:
Chesterfield County Police Department: Residents can visit the County Police Office to file reports at:
10001 Iron Bridge Road
Chesterfield, VA 23832
Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm
Call: 804-784-1251 or 804-748-6265
The Virginia Office of the Attorney General - Victims of phone scams in the state can file by contacting the State's Attorney General’s Office on 804-786-2071.
In-person complaints are filed at:
202 North Ninth Street
Richmond Virginia 23219
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - The FTC focuses on protecting customers from unethical business practices.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website - Complaints can be filed by residents who have been defrauded directly on this website
Federal Communications Commissions Customer Complaint Center - The FCC agency also looks into the activities of phone scammers.