434 Area Code Scam Report
Charlottesville, VA
The 434 area code covers Charlottesville, VA and ranks #138 out of all U.S. area codes for scam call complaints. The FTC has logged 47,774 complaints from 21,990 unique phone numbers in the 434 prefix. The FCC independently recorded another 1,072 complaints, meaning people are reporting these numbers to multiple federal agencies.
But here is what makes 434 distinctive: 51.9% of victims are Virginia residents, and 34% of victims have a 434 number themselves. This is a textbook neighbor spoofing pattern. Scammers fake a 434 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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434 Area Code at a Glance
47,774
2.2 per number avg
1,072
independent federal source
51.9%
target Virginia residents
#138
of all U.S. area codes
Why Scammers Spoof 434 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 434 because it is a large, recognizable Virginia area code. When your phone rings and shows a 434 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 434 numbers:
- 51.9% of victims are in Virginia, confirming local targeting
- 34% of victims have a 434 number themselves, meaning scammers match the victim's own area code
- The remaining 48% of complaints come from all 50 states, showing these numbers also appear in broader campaigns
What 434 Scam Calls Are About
Not all 434 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 89.1%, meaning 9 out of 10 calls are robots. Warranties & protection plans follows at 82.5%. If your phone rings from a 434 number and you hear a recorded message about debt, tech support, or a government agency, it is almost certainly spoofed.
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)
9,839 complaints
89.1%
robocall rate
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends
3,296 complaints
73.2%
robocall rate
Medical & prescriptions
2,720 complaints
59.8%
robocall rate
Warranties & protection plans
1,719 complaints
82.5%
robocall rate
Charities
551 complaints
53.2%
robocall rate
Vacation & timeshares
149 complaints
39.6%
robocall rate
Most Reported 434 Numbers
These 434 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 434 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 434 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
434 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 47,774 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 51.9%. This suggests 817 is used almost exclusively for neighbor spoofing, while 469 sees slightly more use in broader nationwide campaigns.
757
Virginia Beach, VA
68,033 complaints
76.8% target Virginia
804
Area Code 804
66,700 complaints
69.9% target Virginia
540
Roanoke, VA
65,910 complaints
69.2% target Virginia
703
Area Code 703
65,662 complaints
76.6% target Virginia
571
Area Code 571
48,568 complaints
56.1% target Virginia
276
Southwest VA
32,408 complaints
62.4% 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 434 number on ScamVerify™, we cross-reference these sources in real time along with carrier intelligence and community reports.
- FTC Do Not Call Registry - 47,774 complaints from 434 numbers. Consumers file these when they receive unwanted calls, especially from numbers on the Do Not Call list.
- FCC Consumer Complaints - 1,072 complaints from 434 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.