Terrebonne Parish Reverse Phone Lookup

What are Terrebonne Parish Area Codes?

An area code is a three-digit number assigned to a geographical area in the United States. It is added before a seven-digit telephone number when placing a call to or even within an area. An area code can cover the same area as another area code. Such area code is referred to as an area code overlay. You can find the area code for a community or region in the United States by using area code lookup tools online.

There is currently only one area code covering Terrebonne Parish – Area code 985.

Area Code 985

Area code 985 was created from area code 504 and was first used on February 12, 2001. It is the only area code serving Houma, Slidell, and LaPlace. Other locations within this area code include Hammond, Bayou Cane, Thibodaux, Morgan, Bayou Blue, and Bogalusa.

What Are the Best Cell Phone Plans in Terrebonne Parish?

The ability to communicate with people on the move has played no small role in the switching from Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) to cellular or wireless telephony among many phone users. This trend is also supported by a study conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2018. According to the survey, about 57.6% of Louisiana adults exclusively used wireless telephone services, while 4.2% used landline telephone services only. Among persons aged under 18 in the state, 67.8% used wireless telephone services only, while 2.7% used landline services exclusively.

Cell phone plans abound in Terrebonne Parish and it can be difficult to arrive at a decision. The three main parts to consider are minutes, data limits, and text message limits. Some plans offer unlimited talk and text, while a few may offer unlimited data. Unlimited data cell phone plans are relatively rare. However, the first thing to consider when selecting a cell phone plan is the coverage quality in your local area. In the county seat of Houma, AT&T has the best overall coverage with a score of 98%. T-Mobile's coverage is rated 88%, Verizon's coverage is rated 82%, while Sprint has a coverage score of 64%.

If you cannot find a cell phone plan within your budget among the plans offered by the major providers, you can also choose from any of the plans on offer from the Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). Plans offered by the MVNOs tend to be more affordable and are targeted at certain niches. MVNOs vary considerably in size, from large subsidiaries of major carriers to smaller less-known carriers. Many offer high data allowances for very low prices.

Popular today are voice over internet protocol services, commonly referred to as VoIP services. VoIP uses high-speed internet connections to place digital phone calls. Users do not have to spend too much on the minutes component of their phone plan as calls are charged for data use. VoIP phone plans also permit calls to be made to users of regular lines possible at low costs. VoIP service providers can charge low fees for calls because the medium of transmission is the internet, an existing infrastructure.

What are Terrebonne Parish Phone Scams?

Terrebonne Parish phone scams involve the use of text messages, robocalls, and live calls to deceptively obtain money and sensitive information from Terrebonne County residents. With so many people relying on cell phones for communications, marketing, learning, and other everyday needs, scammers are doubling down on common tricks to deceive people into divulging personal information or financial information. Phone scammers commonly purport themselves to be government officials or representatives of trusted private corporations to appear legitimate. They use threats and dangle juicy offers as baits to draw people in. Reverse phone number lookup services can help identify such scam calls. Commonly perpetrated phone scams in Terrebonne Parish are listed below.

What are Terrebonne Parish Law Enforcement Scams?

The law enforcement impersonation scam is probably the most perpetrated phone scam in Terrebonne Parish. Callers impersonate law enforcement agencies claiming to be sheriff deputies, parish judges, DEA agents, or other law enforcement officers. They accuse targets of missing jury duty hearings or other violations and say they have warrants out for their arrests. In some instances of this scam, scammers are targeting registered sex offenders in the hopes of ripping them off.

Regardless of the target, law enforcement impersonators demand payment to have arrest warrants voided. Targets are instructed to send money by gift cards, prepaid debit cards, or cash in the mail. You can use good reverse phone lookup tools online to quickly do a number lookup or reverse number lookup.

What are Terrebonne Parish Tech Support Scams?

In the tech support scam, targets get pop-up windows on their computers saying that viruses or malware have been detected on their devices. The pop-up windows contain phone numbers for the targets to contact tech support personnel to unfreeze their computers and have the viruses removed. Once targets are on the phone to the scammers, they are instructed to provide the phony tech support agents with remote access to their computers. The scammers may ask for payments to remove the viruses.

Once the con artists gain access to targets' computers, they can retrieve usernames, passwords, and other personal information stored on the devices and use them to steal money from their accounts, make unauthorized purchases, and open new credit accounts in their names. You can use good reverse phone lookup tools online to quickly do a number lookup or reverse number lookup for unsolicited callers.

What are Terrebonne Parish IRS Scams?

The IRS scam involves crooked individuals claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service who make unsolicited threatening telephone calls to taxpayers. They use the threat of arrest to obtain money from targets by falsely representing that the targets owe back taxes or other fees. These impersonators demand that targets send them money through iTunes cards, other prepaid debit cards, money orders, or wire transfers from their banks. Some of the instances of the IRS scam originate in the United States; however, there is a strong international component to the scam with many other instances originating from callers 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 Terrebonne Parish Lottery Scams?

Lottery scams more commonly originate from foreign countries. Callers call targets and inform them that they have won huge prizes such as smartphones, computers, or large sums of cash. The catch here however is that targets are required to pay to get the prizes.

The demand for payment is typically subtle as scammers claim payments are for taxes, shipping, processing. Supposed winners of lump sums are required to provide their bank account information for purported direct deposits. Once you provide your bank account information, the scammer steals your funds. If you are asked to pay for shipping or tax, the caller keeps coming back with elaborate stories to defraud you until you realize it is a scam. There are free reverse phone number lookup tools online to uncover who called and find who a number is registered to.

What are Robocalls and Spam Calls?

Robocalls are pre-recorded phone calls used to deliver messages to targeted lists. They are delivered with computer-based technology or auto-dialers which can send out random calls to preselected numbers. Robocalls are cheap and efficient in contacting large audiences and have become one of the most used political campaign tools. Government bodies also use it in disseminating public-service announcements.

Due to the low costs involved in placing robocalls to recipients, many users employ robocalls in illegitimately contacting people having not obtained their express consent. While some of the people contacting recipients illegitimately may have legitimate products and services to sell, others contact people this way to defraud them of money. These unsolicited calls are considered spam calls.

To combat the scourge of robocalls and limit your exposure to the fraudulent acts of scammers through robocalls, follow these guidelines:

• 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 scammers.
• 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.
• Request your phone provider to block numbers associated with robocalls. Some of them provide 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 robocalls online to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or call 1 (888) 382-1222.
• Add your phone number to 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 or online.

How to Spot and Report Terrebonne Parish Phone Scams?

Despite the actions of relevant authorities to identify and stop scam artists running phone scams, fraudulent practices carried out using the telephone continue to exist. Tools such as reverse phone number lookup services are effective in identifying potential phone scams. The following are also red flags to watch out for when you get unsolicited calls:

• The caller insists that you send money right away: Scammers pressure people into wiring money using money transfer services, gift cards, or reloadable cards. They want people to send money before they realize they are being scammed.
• The caller cannot communicate: While a caller may have an accent, it is a different thing to have virtually no command of the English language. Companies may employ foreigners to represent them in contacting customers, but reliable companies will only employ individuals who can communicate well. If an unsolicited caller does not have decent proficiency in the English language, chances are that you are on the call to a scammer.
• The tone of the conversation becomes heated: A caller may be amiable at the beginning of a conversation but may switch midway to become irritable and aggressive when you start asking tough questions. They may start using intimidation tactics and threaten you with arrest, imprisonment, or deportation to get you to cooperate.
• The caller demands your personal information: Never hand out your sensitive information such as bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, and birthdate to unknown persons even if they claim to represent reputable agencies.

Several public institutions provide information and assistance to Terrebonne Parish residents of Terrebonne Parish to help combat the menace of phone scammers. You can file complaints in Terrebonne Parish with any of the following public bodies if you have been contacted by a scammer:

• The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office: Terrebonne Parish residents can report phone scams, especially scams related to identity theft to the parish's Sheriff's Office immediately by calling (985) 876-2500.
• Local Police Departments: You can also file scam complaints at the local police departments in Terrebonne Parish. In the parish seat of Houma, contact the Houma Police Department at (985) 873-6371.
• The Office of the Attorney General: The Public Protection Division of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office encourages residents to report frauds and scams to its office. Complaints can be made by telephone or fax. The office’s fax line is (225) 326-6499. The phone contact is (800) 351-4889. The complaint form is available on the Attorney General’s website.
• Federal Trade Commission - The FTC seeks to promote competition and to protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and report scams, fraud, and bad business practices online. The FTC created the National Do Not Call Registry as part of its efforts to stop unwanted calls. If you still receive unsolicited calls 31 days after adding your number to the registry, they are likely to be spam calls.
• Federal Communications Commission (FCC) - The FCC educates phone users on how to avoid unwanted robocalls and phone scams through its website. Victims of any of these offenses can file complaints online with the FCC.
• The United States Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TITGA): If you have been contacted by an IRS scammer, contact TITGA by calling the office at (800) 366-4484.