What are Dona Ana County Area Codes?
Area codes were established as part of the North American Numbering Plan in the 1940s. This added some form of automation to telephony communications which previously relied on human operators for connecting long-distance calls. The United States was separated into geographical areas which were assigned area codes. These area codes are three-digit area codes that identify the origin and destination of calls. The codes are assigned as prefixes to existing seven-digit telephone numbers. You can find the area code of any geographical area in the United States by using an area code lookup tool online.
There is currently one area code serving Dona Ana County – Area code 575.
Area Code 575
Area code 575 is the area code serving the majority of New Mexico areas except for Santa Fe, Gallup, Albuquerque. It is the only area code serving the cities of Las Cruces, Clovis, and Roswell. Area code 575 was created from area code 505 and was first used on October 7, 2007. Other cities in area code 575 include Hobbs, Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Deming, Chaparral, Sunland Park, and Portales.
What are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Dona Ana County?
A 2018 survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics revealed that 66.4% of New Mexico residents above the age of 18 used wireless-only telephony service, while only 4.1% used wired telephony service exclusively. Among residents below the age of 18, 81.5% used wireless-only telephony service, while only 1.8% used wired telephony service exclusively.
Options abound for anyone looking to sign up on a cell phone plan in Dona Ana County. You do not have to overshoot your budget to find a plan that will keep you connected to family and friends. However, it is still important to understand just exactly what you need and how much it will cost before choosing a cell phone plan. Before all that though, one top consideration to keep in mind is to find out whether a carrier's coverage extends to your local area.
Coverage has improved for all carriers in recent times in most places including Dona Ana County. In the county seat of Las Cruces, AT&T has the best coverage rated at 98%. Verizon coverage score is rated at 82%, Sprint's at 74%, while T-Mobile's coverage is put at 70%. Dona Ana County residents can also find a variety of cell phone plans from other carriers known as Mobile Virtual Network Operators in the county. MVNOs do not typically own their own infrastructure, they purchase minutes and data from major carriers in wholesale and resell at marked down prices to consumers.
VoIP is another wireless telephony option used by Dona Ana County residents. Residents find VoIP services beneficial because they allow for more customization than is possible with traditional telephony. While a traditional phone service provider will choose the area code for a subscriber, VoIP service providers allow subscribers to change their area codes even though they do not live in the locations of the area codes. VoIP service providers can also access call forwarding, call blocking, international calling, and three-way calling features. Depending on the needs of a subscriber, a VoIP plan can be very cheap, and it is one of the best options for individuals on a budget.
What are Dona Ana County Phone Scams?
Dona Ana County phone scams are illegal activities and fraudulent acts of crooked individuals perpetrated through phone calls to obtain personal and financial information or defraud Dona Ana County residents.
Phone scams do not only occur through phone calls. They may also be perpetrated using robocalls or text messages. Scammers use different schemes and techniques to trick residents into believing them and their elaborate stories. These may include juicy investment offers, aggressive tactics, impersonations, and the use of caller ID spoofing. Caller ID spoofing allows phone users to falsify the caller ID information on the call recipient’s display. Phone users are more likely to believe callers whose caller identification matches the caller IDs of reputable organizations or public bodies. Dona Ana County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.
What are Dona Ana County Clergy Impersonation Scams?
In this scam, the caller poses as a clergy, more commonly, of the Diocese of Las Cruces in an attempt to make a county resident believe that the call is coming from a priest. The caller uses the name of a priest and requests financial aid to resolve some sort of emergency. Commonly used emergencies include being sick, traveling and losing a passport, and even losing savings to a scammer.
The clergy impersonation scam aims to appeal to targets’ kindness and concern for the priest by creating an urgency that requires immediate financial support. Financial aid is typically requested through gift cards, iTunes cards, and prepaid debit cards. Phone lookup applications can help unmask the real identities of phone scammers.
What are Dona Ana County Sheriff Impersonation Scams?
Sheriff impersonation scams are prevalent in Dona Ana County. The caller claims to be an employee of the county sheriff's office and may use the name of an actual sergeant or another officer who works in the Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office. The caller informs the target to pay up in order to avoid arrest for missing a court appearance or jury duty.
This scam usually involves a lot of stealth activities with the perpetrators gathering information from the internet and other sources about their targets. Many such scammers go into huge amounts of details during phone calls in order to sound real and convincing. They know their targets' work types and workplaces and give specific location information about the aisle of local grocery stores where prepaid cards can be purchased to make payments.
After purchasing a prepaid card, a victim may be told to mail the cards to a particular mailing address such as to a Washington D.C. address of the United State Department of the Treasury. However, the money on the card would have been transferred. You can use a reverse cell phone lookup tool to verify if a caller’s identity matches the name given.
What are Dona Ana County Social Security Scams?
Here, callers pose as employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and inform call recipients that their Social Security numbers or accounts have been flagged for fraudulent activities and hence suspended. These scammers attempt to mislead victims into making cash or gift card payments for help with purported identity thefts or to avoid arrests for bogus Social Security number problems.
To "lift" the suspension on Social Security accounts, targets are told to make immediate payments by proving their credit or debit card numbers over the phone. The fraudsters may also require a specific means of payment, such as prepaid debit cards, retail gift cards, and cash. A scammer may promise a Social Security benefit approval, or increase, in exchange for information or money. Dona Ana County residents may use free reverse phone lookup tools to ascertain the true origins of suspicious phone numbers.
What are Dona Ana County Ransom Scams?
The ransom scam seems to have reared its ugly head in recent times in Dona Ana County. The caller tries to entice the call recipient to respond to the scene of a motor vehicle crash in order to obtain personal or financial information. Many residents have reported receiving such calls from callers claiming to be at the scenes of motor vehicle crashes involving relatives of the call recipients.
In multiple instances of the scam, the callers put other persons on the phone claiming to be the targets' relatives who have purportedly been held against their will. The callers demand huge sums for the safe release of the "held relatives." Payment may be required by wire transfers or prepaid debit cards. Some victims have reported being ordered to obtain certified checks or gift cards. They were then supposed to meet the callers to facilitate exchanges which never occurred. The victims were to later find out that their relatives were not actually held captive or involved in motor vehicle crashes.
What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?
Robocalls are prerecorded messages delivered through automated calls placed by automatic dialing announcing devices or predictive dialers. When you answer a robocall, you hear a recorded message and not a live person’s. Robocalls are useful in delivering messages to large audiences. For instance, robocalls are useful for public service announcements, political campaigns, and telemarketing. Despite these public uses, robocall use is restricted by the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, which requires telemarketers to obtain the express permission of telephone subscribers before contacting them using robocalls.
However, this guideline is ignored by crooked persons looking to defraud unsuspecting persons of their money. Scammers combine robocalls with VoIP technology to reach hundreds of targets at once hoping that a few will bite the baits. These unsolicited calls are generally considered spam calls due to their unwanted nature.
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:
- Hang up on robocalls. If you answer a call and hear a prerecorded message, hang up immediately. Do not press any button or number. That could lead to you receiving more calls from crooked individuals.
- Avoid answering calls from unknown numbers.
- Do not provide or confirm personal or financial information to anyone over the phone, as the request may be fraudulent.
- Contact your telephone provider. Some providers offer call screening or call blocking products, including services that can help conduct a suspicious phone number lookup or reverse phone lookup.
- Download and install a third-party call-blocking application on your mobile phone, such as Nomorobo, Truecaller, Hiya, and YouMail.
- Report unwanted calls online to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or call (888) 382-1222.
- Install a good reverse phone lookup tool on your phone to find out who called and who the number is registered to.
- Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry maintained by the FTC. Registration is free and can be done by calling (888) 382-1222 from the number you intend to register.
How to Spot and Report Dona Ana County Phone Scams?
Scammers use the internet or telephone to trick hundreds of people every year in Dona Ana County into sending money or giving out personal information. Scammers can be polite and charming. They may say they work for companies that you know and trust. They may know your name or certain things about you and make you feel special. They promise things like lottery winnings, prizes, checks, or high-return investments. However, they will not keep these promises. One way to defeat scammers is to know how to identify scams and ignoring suspicious calls. Reverse phone lookup tools can also help limit the negative impacts of phone scams.
The following are red flags in identifying phone scams:
- The phone number does not display on your caller ID: It is unlikely for a caller with good intentions to hide caller ID. If you keep getting calls from a caller with hidden caller identification, ignore such calls.
- The caller uses high-pressure sales tactics and insists on an immediate decision: If you receive a call from a caller who tries to sell you something but insists you have to make a decision on the spot concerning the offer, refuse to yield to such aggressive tactics. Scammers do not want you to verify their information and want you to decide immediately.
- The offer sounds too good to be true: This is usually a trick used by scammers offering bogus investment schemes and lottery or sweepstakes scammers. If a caller asks you to invest a small amount with the promise of a high return in a few weeks or months, do not take the bait. Adequately confer with friends and advisers to ascertain such offers.
- The caller requests your personal information: If a caller asks you to provide sensitive personal information such as credit card details, bank account information, PIN, and password, do not release such information.
- The caller requests payment through specific methods: If a caller demands that you make payments through methods such as wire transfers, reloadable cards, cryptocurrencies, and gift cards, be wary. Money paid through these means is difficult to trace and refund.
You can file complaints with any of the following public bodies if you have been contacted by a scammer:
- The Dona Ana 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 Dona Ana County Sheriff's Office at (575) 525-1911. In the county seat of Las Cruces, you can contact the La Cruces Police Department at (575) 526-0795.
- The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office: To report a scam, you can file a complaint online to the Attorney General’s Office or call the Office’s toll-free line at (505) 490-4060 (Santa Fe), (505) 717-3500 (Albuquerque), (575) 339-1120 (Las Cruces).
- 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.