276 Area Code Scam Report
Southwest VA
The 276 area code covers Southwest VA and ranks #188 out of all U.S. area codes for scam call complaints. The FTC has logged 17,232 complaints from 6,393 unique phone numbers in the 276 prefix. The FCC independently recorded another 647 complaints, meaning people are reporting these numbers to multiple federal agencies.
But here is what makes 276 distinctive: 65.2% of victims are Virginia residents, and 19% of victims have a 276 number themselves. This is a textbook neighbor spoofing pattern. Scammers fake a 276 caller ID because people in the Virginia area are far more likely to answer a call that looks like it is coming from their own neighborhood. The number on your screen is fabricated.
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276 Area Code at a Glance
17,232
2.7 per number avg
647
independent federal source
65.2%
target Virginia residents
#188
of all U.S. area codes
Why Scammers Spoof 276 Numbers
Caller ID spoofing is trivially easy with modern VoIP technology. Scammers operating from anywhere in the world can make your phone display any number they choose. They pick 276 because it is a large, recognizable Virginia area code. When your phone rings and shows a 276 number, your instinct is that it might be a local business, a doctor's office, or someone you know. That instinct is exactly what scammers exploit.
The data confirms this. Of all FTC complaints about 276 numbers:
- 65.2% of victims are in Virginia, confirming local targeting
- 19% of victims have a 276 number themselves, meaning scammers match the victim's own area code
- The remaining 35% of complaints come from all 50 states, showing these numbers also appear in broader campaigns
What 276 Scam Calls Are About
Not all 276 scam calls run the same playbook. The FTC categorizes complaints by subject, and the automation rate (robocall percentage) reveals which scams are run by machines versus live callers.
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) scams have the highest automation rate at 82%, meaning 8 out of 10 calls are robots. Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends follows at 67.7%. If your phone rings from a 276 number and you hear a recorded message about debt, tech support, or a government agency, it is almost certainly spoofed.
Medical & prescriptions
1,656 complaints
52.7%
robocall rate
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)
1,376 complaints
82%
robocall rate
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends
1,267 complaints
67.7%
robocall rate
Charities
562 complaints
49.6%
robocall rate
Warranties & protection plans
241 complaints
37.8%
robocall rate
Vacation & timeshares
118 complaints
22%
robocall rate
Most Reported 276 Numbers
These 276 numbers have the highest FTC complaint counts. Click any number to see the full scam report with carrier data, complaint history, and AI risk analysis.
What to Do If You Get a Call from a 276 Number
If you did not answer
Do not call back. Scammers spoof real people's numbers, so calling back may reach an innocent person. Instead, check the number on ScamVerify™ to see if it has been reported. If there is no voicemail, it was almost certainly a robocall.
If you answered
Hang up immediately if you hear a recorded message. If a live person asks for personal information, payment, or claims to be from the IRS, Social Security, or your bank, do not engage. Legitimate agencies do not cold-call demanding immediate payment. Check the number below, then report it to the FTC at donotcall.gov.
Remember: the number is not real
The 276 number that appeared on your screen was almost certainly spoofed. The actual caller could be anywhere. This is why blocking individual numbers has limited value. Scammers generate thousands of spoofed numbers and discard them after a few calls.
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The Virginia Scam Call Cluster
276 does not exist in isolation. The entire Virginia metro shares five area codes, and scammers rotate through all of them. Combined, these codes account for 17,232 FTC complaints, making DFW one of the most spoofed metro areas in the country.
Fort Worth's 817 has the highest in-state targeting rate at 84%, while 469 sits at 65.2%. This suggests 817 is used almost exclusively for neighbor spoofing, while 469 sees slightly more use in broader nationwide campaigns.
757
Virginia Beach, VA
30,801 complaints
78.7% target Virginia
540
Roanoke, VA
30,415 complaints
75.5% target Virginia
804
Area Code 804
30,356 complaints
71.7% target Virginia
703
Area Code 703
28,953 complaints
75.2% target Virginia
571
Area Code 571
25,681 complaints
58% target Virginia
434
Charlottesville, VA
19,615 complaints
65.7% target Virginia
Where This Data Comes From
Every number on this page comes from federal complaint databases, not estimates or surveys. When you check a specific 276 number on ScamVerify™, we cross-reference these sources in real time along with carrier intelligence and community reports.
- FTC Do Not Call Registry - 17,232 complaints from 276 numbers. Consumers file these when they receive unwanted calls, especially from numbers on the Do Not Call list.
- FCC Consumer Complaints - 647 complaints from 276 numbers. An independent federal source that corroborates the FTC data.
- Carrier Intelligence - Real-time caller ID verification, line type detection, and STIR/SHAKEN attestation available when you check a specific number.
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