Phone calls from a "746" area code.

[Famspear]

Over the past few months we have been getting phone calls at home from a number in the "746" area code. We see the number on the display on our phone, and we have never answered the phone on this. Whoever (or whatever) it is that is calling never leaves a message.

My understanding is that there is no such thing as a "746" area code, at least not in the U.S. or Canada.

I am very suspicious.

Does anyone know anything about this "746" area code?

[JamesVincent]

I had seen this one pop up before on my caller ID Fam and had never answered it either and never gotten a message. I know sometimes its poor practice for a business owner to NOT answer the phone but I know the area codes that my customers should be calling from and of course family and friends and if I dont recognize it, I dont answer it.

[Kestrel]

I'm getting regular calls from scam artists who use Voice-over-IP and Black Box software that spoofs the caller number. Usually the caller ID reports a valid area code, but not always.

The ones calling me are probably not the same as those calling you, because mine use a different phone number every time. My roaches' calls always start with "this is your last opportunity to lower your credit card interest rate..."

[Judge Roy Bean]

...

Does anyone know anything about this "746" area code?

Technologically speaking, the number you see displayed can be manipulated.

And depending on your service provider's willingness to acquiesce to what amounts to federal harvesting of call records, the real origin of the call might never be traced.

On the commercial side, spoofing is primarily a product of entities that want to hide behind the regulations - most often skip tracers and collectors who hire them.

On the prosecution side, you have to realize that while information obtained illegally can't be used as evidence, it will often point to things that can, and there is a market for such things.

[fortinbras]

Country code 746 is Bangladesh cellphones.

[Arthur Rubin]

I've recently gotten some calls from the "999" area code, with the caller saying something like:

We have heard that your computer is hacking into our systems....

to which my immediate reply is

Unless you're a government agency [sometimes, unless you're a spy], you can't find my phone number from my computer's information or IP address. I think you're a fraud.

or

You're in violation of the "Do Not Call" regulations. Please do not call this number again, or you will be reported to the FBI.

or, sometimes, if I recognize the number as fake from the beginning,

Zyxxz police department. How can I help you?

(For those who are interested, area code 746 is an unassigned geographic area code, and 999 is reserved for expansion, possibly of the 900 services. Information courtesy nanpa.com )

[Number Six]

You could answer the suspicious calls using a "voice changer" unit which can turn your voice into a monster growl or a voice at the other end of the spectrum. I tend to get calls from "charitable" organizations with official sounding names but which are probably mostly scams.

[steveosiris]

If you are getting calls from this number, you may be getting scam calls from someone who is masking their real phone number, as this number is actually an area code from Bangladesh. If you are very annoyed, you could call your phone company and request to block this number. Hope this helps.

Over the past few months we have been getting phone calls at home from a number in the "746" area code. We see the number on the display on our phone, and we have never answered the phone on this. Whoever (or whatever) it is that is calling never leaves a message.

My understanding is that there is no such thing as a "746" area code, at least not in the U.S. or Canada.

I am very suspicious.

Does anyone know anything about this "746" area code?