816 Area Code Scam Report
Area Code 816
The 816 area code covers Area Code 816 and ranks #158 out of all U.S. area codes for scam call complaints. The FTC has logged 43,050 complaints from 22,080 unique phone numbers in the 816 prefix. The FCC independently recorded another 1,142 complaints, meaning people are reporting these numbers to multiple federal agencies.
But here is what makes 816 distinctive: 67.6% of victims are Missouri residents, and 66% of victims have a 816 number themselves. This is a textbook neighbor spoofing pattern. Scammers fake a 816 caller ID because people in the Missouri 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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816 Area Code at a Glance
43,050
1.9 per number avg
1,142
independent federal source
67.6%
target Missouri residents
#158
of all U.S. area codes
Why Scammers Spoof 816 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 816 because it is a large, recognizable Missouri area code. When your phone rings and shows a 816 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 816 numbers:
- 67.6% of victims are in Missouri, confirming local targeting
- 66% of victims have a 816 number themselves, meaning scammers match the victim's own area code
- The remaining 32% of complaints come from all 50 states, showing these numbers also appear in broader campaigns
What 816 Scam Calls Are About
Not all 816 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.
Medical & prescriptions scams have the highest automation rate at 78.2%, meaning 8 out of 10 calls are robots. Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends follows at 66.6%. If your phone rings from a 816 number and you hear a recorded message about debt, tech support, or a government agency, it is almost certainly spoofed.
Medical & prescriptions
7,851 complaints
78.2%
robocall rate
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends
3,938 complaints
66.6%
robocall rate
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)
1,626 complaints
60.9%
robocall rate
Home improvement & cleaning
636 complaints
23.3%
robocall rate
Warranties & protection plans
537 complaints
66.3%
robocall rate
Energy, solar, & utilities
481 complaints
46.6%
robocall rate
Most Reported 816 Numbers
These 816 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 816 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 816 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 Missouri Scam Call Cluster
816 does not exist in isolation. The entire Missouri metro shares five area codes, and scammers rotate through all of them. Combined, these codes account for 43,050 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 67.6%. 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 816 number on ScamVerify™, we cross-reference these sources in real time along with carrier intelligence and community reports.
- FTC Do Not Call Registry - 43,050 complaints from 816 numbers. Consumers file these when they receive unwanted calls, especially from numbers on the Do Not Call list.
- FCC Consumer Complaints - 1,142 complaints from 816 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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