What are Williamson County Area Codes?
An area code is a three-digit code representing the regional location of a phone number within the United States. Area codes were created as part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) which sought to introduce automation to the existing telephony system that relied heavily on human operators in the 1940s. Each geographic region is assigned an area code to help forward calls to the correct destinations.
You can find the area code of any geographical area in the United States by using an area code lookup tool online.
Two area codes currently serve Williamson County - Area codes 615 and 629.
Area Code 615
Area code 615 serves central Tennessee and the Nashville metropolitan area including locations such as Brentwood, Franklin, Gallatin, Hendersonville, Lebanon, Murfreesboro, and Smyrna in addition to several other smaller communities within the service area.
Area code 615 was first used on January 1, 1954. It was split to form area code 423 in 1995 and again in 1997 to create area code 931.
Area Code 629
Area code 629 was assigned on October 24, 2013, but was first used on March 28, 2015, as an overlay of the 615-area code. Area code 629 is considered a General Purpose Code. It also serves cities and places such as La Vergne, Nashville, Goodlettsville, Fairview, Nolensville, Ridgetop, Kingston Springs, and Gordonsville.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Williamson County?
More and more residents in Tennessee are adopting wireless services as their preferred option for telephony communications with under 6% of the total Tennessee population using wired telephony service. This statistic is evidenced in a recent survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, a principal agency of the United States Federal Statistical System.
According to modeled estimates revealed by the survey, 61.2% of persons aged 18 and above living in Tennessee used wireless-only telephony service, while only 3.7 of residents in that demographic were exclusive landline telephony users. Among residents under the age of 18, 71.4% used wireless telephony exclusively, while 1.6% used landline-only telephony service.
When searching for the best cell phone plan for your needs, you need to consider the basics of cell phone coverage. This includes talk, text, and data, which vary according to each wireless carrier. Wireless carriers typically offer multiple plans relative to these three factors, such as individual, family, and no-contract plans.
However, no matter how good the features or price on a cell phone plan looks, it makes little sense to purchase the plan if the coverage in your local area is very poor. Fortunately, all four major wireless carriers have Williamson County covered with a strong and reliable network. In the county seat of Franklin, Verizon has the best coverage with a relative score of 96 compared to other Major Network Operators (MNOs). AT&T's coverage is rated at 86%, while Sprint and T-Mobile coverage scores are 70% and 58% respectively.
Williamson County residents can also purchase cell phone plans from the Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) operating in the county. These are smaller carriers that typically buy bulk services at wholesale prices from MNOs, brand them, and then resell them to their subscribers.
Broadband connections have also become fast enough and widespread that many Williamson County residents prefer to use VoIP service for telephony communications. That way, residents can cut down the voice-service component of their cellular plans, if not completely eliminate it.
VoIP refers to Voice over Internet Protocol, which is a technology that allows phone calls to be transmitted over internet connections or IP networks. VoIP is a flexible technology that can be used as a home phone line or with your smartphone’s internet connection to make mobile VoIP calls.
What are Williamson County Phone Scams?
Williamson County phone scams involve the use of fraudulent telephone calls or text messages to trick people into giving money or revealing personal information. Phone scammers may masquerade as employees of trusted public bodies or reputable private firms in order to gain the trust of their victims. With the emergence of modern technology, high reachability, and automation, the telephone has become an attractive tool for scammers to disseminate unsolicited information, thereby luring many people into parting with money or sensitive information.
The Williamson County Sheriff's Office and the Tennessee Attorney General Office frequently post scam alerts for residents to keep abreast of scam trends in the county and state.
Williamson County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.
What are Williamson County Jury Duty Scams?
In a law enforcement impersonation scam, the caller poses as an employee of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office or a local police department. The caller claims that the intended victim has missed a court date and must therefore pay a fine. The caller typically attempts to force the target into paying a fine over the telephone. The impersonator may also leave a callback number for the target to reach to make the payment.
When targets contact the impersonators through the callback numbers, they hear computerized messages claiming they have reached the Williamson County Sheriff's Office Court Process Division or the voicemail of the local police department. This is only an attempt to legitimize the scam. The callers usually ask for credit card information to pay bonds and prevent arrests or demand that prepaid debit cards be purchased from local stores. The cards' numbers are then to be read out to the scammers over the phone. Note that no legitimate law enforcement agency demands immediate payment over the phone. You can use free reverse phone number lookup tools online to help uncover who called and find who a number is registered to.
What are Williamson County IRS Scams?
IRS scam begins with a call from someone claiming to work for the IRS who informs you that you owe money for unpaid taxes. The caller claims you will be arrested, deported, have your license revoked, or even shut down your business if you do not pay up immediately. Note that the caller may know some of your Social Security number and some other personal information. It is all part of the plan to defraud you.
In recent times, IRS scammers have changed tacts by using consumers' account details to deposit refunds. They then contact their targets posing as debt collection agency officials, claiming that refunds were deposited in error. The scammers later ask their targets to transfer excess funds directly to them. Many IRS scams are perpetrated by criminals outside the United States. You may conduct a “reverse phone lookup international” search online to verify the source of such calls. A “reverse phone lookup USA” search will help track the origin of a call placed within the United States.
What are Williamson County Medical Scams?
Medical scams prey on human suffering. They offer solutions where none exist or promise to simplify complex medical treatments. These scams involve con artists offering a range of products and services that appear to be legitimate alternative medicines promising quick and effective remedies for serious medical conditions. Treatments claim to be effective against a wide range of conditions and are promoted using testimonials from individuals who have used the products or services and have been "cured".
Some of these scammers may also call and try to sell discounted health insurance plans that are not legitimate. Many of these plans are not always legitimate health insurance plans as they do not meet the minimum coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act. These scammers intend to obtain sensitive information or money from their targets which may be used in identity thefts. Williamson County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.
What are Williamson County Tech Support Scams?
A tech support scammer wants you to believe that there is a serious issue with your computer, such as a virus and malware attack that needs fixing. Tech support scammers seek to catch their targets in one of two ways; pop-up advertisements or cold calls. You may see pop-up warnings displaying on your computer screen warning that your device and the data therein are at risk of damage or loss. The display also includes a phone number to call to fix the issue.
Upon calling the advertised number, the scammer poses as a representative of a reputable tech company, such as Microsoft and Apple. The scammer uses lots of technical jargon to convince you that your computer is seriously at risk and needs to be fixed immediately by granting remote access to the device.
Once tech support scammers gain remote access, they access all the information stored on the device for valuable items that may be stolen, such as banking passwords, PINs, and other important credentials. You may be asked to pay for software or repair services that will not be rendered or not worth as much as quoted. To guide against this type of scam, you can use a reverse cell phone lookup tool to verify if a caller’s identity matches the name given.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are automated telephone calls initiated by computer programs called auto-dialers or predictive dialers. Once a connection has been established, the dialer delivers a prerecorded message. Robocalls are often used for appointment reminders, crisis communications, or public-service announcements. However, telemarketers and other crooked individuals have abused the technology by using it to deliver unsolicited calls and deceptive messages. The Federal Communications Commission has prohibited robocalls unless where recipients have given their written permissions.
Many scammers flout this rule though by using spoofing technology to falsify caller ID information, hoping that targets will pick up because the phone numbers look familiar or the area codes are local. Scammers also use robocalls in conjunction with VoIP to make thousands of unwanted calls in the hope of defrauding people. These calls are unsolicited and their unwanted nature qualifies them as spam calls.
Spam calls are often intended to fleece unsuspecting residents. 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:
- Register your phone on the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry: Although it may not stop spam calls from reaching you, it will make them easier to spot because most legitimate telemarketers will not call you if you are on the registry.
- Use your phone's in-built call blocking feature: Most smartphones have basic call-blocking features. This is often enough for most persons.
- Ask your phone service provider for call-blocking service: Some service providers offer call-blocking features with their phone plans, while others offer the feature as an add-on service. Find out from your provider and use the feature to stop unwanted calls.
- Consider using a call-blocking mobile application to screen your calls: You can download such applications from any of the major mobile app stores. Examples include Mr. Number, Hiya, RoboKiller, Nomorobo, and Truecaller.
- Install a good reverse phone lookup tool on your phone to find out who called and who the number is registered to.
- Do not answer calls from unknown numbers: If you are unfamiliar with a telephone caller, do not answer the call. The caller will leave a message in the voicemail if getting through to you is important.
- Hang up on robocalls: If you answer a call and hear a recorded message, hang up immediately. Do not press any button or number to speak with a live agent. That will only let the scammer know that your line is active. You may therefore be targeted in more scam calls.
How to Spot and Report Williamson County Phone Scams?
People lose a lot of money to phone scams - sometimes their entire life savings. Scammers have figured out countless ways to cheat people out of their money over the phone. In some scams, they act friendly and helpful. In others, they might threaten or try to scare you. One thing is certain though, a scammer will try to get your money or personal information to commit identity theft.
One of the best ways to avoid phone scams is to be armed with information on tactics used by scammers in deceiving victims. Reverse phone lookup tools can also help limit the negative impacts of phone scams.
The following are red flags in identifying phone scams:
- Unsolicited call from a person claiming to work for a government agency or reputable company: Credible organizations or bodies will rarely call you unless they have first communicated by other means or you have contacted them.
- Calls pitching products or services with terms that sound too good to be true: Scams typically originate from offers that sound unbelievable such as free product trials, cash prizes, cheap travel packages, medical services, pre-approved loans, debt reduction, and low-risk, high-return investments.
- Automated calls from a "company" you have not authorized to call you: Per the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991, telemarketers are only allowed to reach telephone subscribers after obtaining the express permissions of the call recipients. If you receive an unsolicited call from such companies, they are illegal robocalls and most likely scam calls.
- The caller tries to coerce you into making an immediate decision: Scammers often want you to act fast. They may present limited-time offers or scare you into acting immediately. Slow down, take your time to verify any information you have been given.
- An unsolicited caller says that you have won a prize or that there is a problem: Scammers posing as government representatives may claim you are in trouble with the government, that you owe money, or someone you know is in an emergency. To fix the problem or obtain a prize, you will be asked to transfer funds into certain accounts. Do not take the bait.
- The caller asks you to pay in a specific way: Scammers often ask victims to pay by sending money through money transfer companies or by putting money on gift cards and then giving them the numbers on the back. Some will even send checks, tell you to deposit the checks, and then send them money. Victims will later find out the checks were fake.
- The caller demands personal information: An unsolicited caller demanding sensitive personal information such as Social Security number, bank account information, credit card numbers, and date of birth over a phone conversation is likely to have ulterior motives. Do not release your personal information to such callers.
You can file complaints with any of the following public bodies if you have been contacted by a scammer:
- The Williamson 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 Williamson County Sheriff's Office at (615) 790-5560. In the county seat of Franklin, you can contact the Franklin Police Department at (615) 794-2513.
- The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office: To report a scam, you can file a complaint online to the Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) of the Tennessee Attorney General's Office or call the office at (615) 741-3491.
- 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.