601 Area Code Scam Report
Area Code 601
The 601 area code covers Area Code 601 and ranks #198 out of all U.S. area codes for scam call complaints. The FTC has logged 33,453 complaints from 17,797 unique phone numbers in the 601 prefix. The FCC independently recorded another 898 complaints, meaning people are reporting these numbers to multiple federal agencies.
But here is what makes 601 distinctive: 65% of victims are Mississippi residents, and 63% of victims have a 601 number themselves. This is a textbook neighbor spoofing pattern. Scammers fake a 601 caller ID because people in the Mississippi 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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601 Area Code at a Glance
33,453
1.9 per number avg
898
independent federal source
65%
target Mississippi residents
#198
of all U.S. area codes
Why Scammers Spoof 601 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 601 because it is a large, recognizable Mississippi area code. When your phone rings and shows a 601 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 601 numbers:
- 65% of victims are in Mississippi, confirming local targeting
- 63% of victims have a 601 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 601 Scam Calls Are About
Not all 601 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.
Warranties & protection plans scams have the highest automation rate at 86.6%, meaning 9 out of 10 calls are robots. Home improvement & cleaning follows at 86.4%. If your phone rings from a 601 number and you hear a recorded message about debt, tech support, or a government agency, it is almost certainly spoofed.
Medical & prescriptions
4,087 complaints
58.1%
robocall rate
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends
3,477 complaints
65.7%
robocall rate
Warranties & protection plans
2,051 complaints
86.6%
robocall rate
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)
1,493 complaints
73.1%
robocall rate
Home security & alarms
266 complaints
78.9%
robocall rate
Home improvement & cleaning
206 complaints
86.4%
robocall rate
Most Reported 601 Numbers
These 601 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 601 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 601 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 Mississippi Scam Call Cluster
601 does not exist in isolation. The entire Mississippi metro shares five area codes, and scammers rotate through all of them. Combined, these codes account for 33,453 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%. This suggests 817 is used almost exclusively for neighbor spoofing, while 469 sees slightly more use in broader nationwide campaigns.
Where This Data Comes From
Every number on this page comes from federal complaint databases, not estimates or surveys. When you check a specific 601 number on ScamVerify™, we cross-reference these sources in real time along with carrier intelligence and community reports.
- FTC Do Not Call Registry - 33,453 complaints from 601 numbers. Consumers file these when they receive unwanted calls, especially from numbers on the Do Not Call list.
- FCC Consumer Complaints - 898 complaints from 601 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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