Scam & spam area codes: which codes get reported most

Is there such a thing as a scam area code? Mostly no — 74% of robocalls fake a local area code. See the area codes with the most FTC complaints, by-state data, and what to do instead of blocking.

Searching for a list of "scam area codes" to block? Here's the honest answer first: there is almost no such thing. In 2025, roughly 74% of robocalls faked a local area code to look like a neighbor, so scammers use whatever area code helps them — including yours. Blocking an entire area code mostly blocks legitimate calls. What the data can show is which codes draw the most Do Not Call complaints, and why.

What this data is — and isn't. These figures count consumer complaints in the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Do Not Call database. They are unverified reports, not proof of wrongdoing. Crucially, most scam calls spoof a real number or a local area code, so a high complaint count usually means a number or area code is being imitated — the real owner is often a victim too. areacode.fyi is not a consumer reporting agency and this information is not for any FCRA purpose (employment, credit, tenant, or insurance screening). Report unwanted calls at DoNotCall.gov.

The most-reported "area codes" are toll-free prefixes

The codes with the most FTC complaints aren't geographic at all — they're toll-free prefixes, which account for about 49% of all complaints in this data. Debt-relief and imposter robocallers dial from them in bulk.

#	Prefix	FTC complaints	Numbers
1	833	33,763	3,514
2	866	27,538	2,554
3	855	23,821	2,703
4	877	20,813	2,286
5	888	18,624	2,371
6	844	17,524	2,650
7	800	8,105	771

Most-reported geographic area codes

Among true geographic area codes, these draw the most complaints. Remember: thanks to spoofing, this reflects which codes get imitated most, not where scammers actually are. Each links to its area-code scam page.

#	Area code	Region	FTC complaints
1	434	Charlottesville, Virginia	6,851
2	315	Syracuse, New York	6,295
3	217	Champaign-Urbana, Illinois	4,603
4	202	Washington, District of Columbia	3,311
5	540	Roanoke, Virginia	3,289
6	502	Louisville, Kentucky	2,509
7	407	Orlando, Florida	2,261
8	771	Washington, District of Columbia	2,033
9	309	Peoria, Illinois	1,648
10	470	Atlanta, Georgia	1,451
11	585	Rochester, New York	1,341
12	201	Hackensack, New Jersey	1,311
13	224	Arlington Heights, Illinois	1,196
14	321	Cocoa, Florida	1,122
15	213	Los Angeles, California	1,108
16	440	Hillcrest, Ohio	1,098
17	206	Seattle, Washington	1,074
18	949	Irvine, California	1,073
19	614	Columbus, Ohio	1,019
20	209	Stockton, California	1,009

Which states get the most complaints

Per the FTC's FY2025 Data Book, these states logged the most Do Not Call complaints per 100,000 people:

#	State	Complaints per 100k
1	Arizona	1,028
2	Tennessee	1,017
3	Nevada	960
4	Illinois	943
5	Florida	933

The bigger picture: U.S. robocalls by the numbers

Americans received an estimated 52.5 billion robocalls in 2025 — about 4.7 billion a month, or roughly 1,600 every second (YouMail Robocall Index).
The FTC logged 2.6 million Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year 2025, with 258.5 million numbers on the registry. Robocalls make up most complaints.
The most-reported complaint topics were reducing debt, imposters (calls pretending to be government, business, or family), and medical & prescriptions.
People reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025 — a record — out of about $16 billion in total reported fraud.
74% of 2025 robocalls used a fake local area code ("neighbor spoofing"), up roughly 50% from 2024 (Nomorobo) — which is why no single area code is safe to trust or block on sight.

Should you block an area code? No — do this instead

Don't blocklist area codes. You'll miss real calls and still get spoofed ones. Screen unknown numbers instead.
Check a specific number on our who-called-me lookup, or see the most-reported phone numbers.
Turn on carrier spam filtering and register at DoNotCall.gov.

Sources & method

Rankings are computed from the FTC's public Do Not Call complaint data (numbers reported three or more times), aggregated by phone number and area code and refreshed monthly. National figures are cited below. Last updated June 2026.

Sourced from the official NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administrator) numbering database, current as of June 20, 2026. Refreshed monthly.