949 Area Code Scam Report
Irvine, CA
The 949 area code covers Irvine, CA and ranks #85 out of all U.S. area codes for scam call complaints. The FTC has logged 27,358 complaints from 10,780 unique phone numbers in the 949 prefix. The FCC independently recorded another 2,015 complaints, meaning people are reporting these numbers to multiple federal agencies.
But here is what makes 949 distinctive: 63.9% of victims are California residents, and 32% of victims have a 949 number themselves. This is a textbook neighbor spoofing pattern. Scammers fake a 949 caller ID because people in the California 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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949 Area Code at a Glance
27,358
2.5 per number avg
2,015
independent federal source
63.9%
target California residents
#85
of all U.S. area codes
Why Scammers Spoof 949 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 949 because it is a large, recognizable California area code. When your phone rings and shows a 949 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 949 numbers:
- 63.9% of victims are in California, confirming local targeting
- 32% of victims have a 949 number themselves, meaning scammers match the victim's own area code
- The remaining 36% of complaints come from all 50 states, showing these numbers also appear in broader campaigns
What 949 Scam Calls Are About
Not all 949 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.
Energy, solar, & utilities scams have the highest automation rate at 74.1%, meaning 7 out of 10 calls are robots. Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends follows at 67.4%. If your phone rings from a 949 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)
3,922 complaints
66.2%
robocall rate
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends
2,390 complaints
67.4%
robocall rate
Energy, solar, & utilities
1,284 complaints
74.1%
robocall rate
Medical & prescriptions
1,101 complaints
63.6%
robocall rate
Home improvement & cleaning
985 complaints
30.1%
robocall rate
Vacation & timeshares
244 complaints
21.7%
robocall rate
Most Reported 949 Numbers
These 949 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 949 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 949 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 California Scam Call Cluster
949 does not exist in isolation. The entire California metro shares five area codes, and scammers rotate through all of them. Combined, these codes account for 27,358 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 63.9%. This suggests 817 is used almost exclusively for neighbor spoofing, while 469 sees slightly more use in broader nationwide campaigns.
209
Stockton, CA
40,662 complaints
57.1% target California
213
Los Angeles, CA
31,541 complaints
62.6% target California
909
Inland Empire, CA
24,874 complaints
79.4% target California
310
West LA, CA
24,097 complaints
80.7% target California
818
San Fernando Valley, CA
23,552 complaints
77.6% target California
707
North Bay, CA
23,073 complaints
68.6% target California
Where This Data Comes From
Every number on this page comes from federal complaint databases, not estimates or surveys. When you check a specific 949 number on ScamVerify™, we cross-reference these sources in real time along with carrier intelligence and community reports.
- FTC Do Not Call Registry - 27,358 complaints from 949 numbers. Consumers file these when they receive unwanted calls, especially from numbers on the Do Not Call list.
- FCC Consumer Complaints - 2,015 complaints from 949 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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