979 Area Code Scam Report
College Station, TX
The 979 area code covers College Station, TX and ranks #262 out of all U.S. area codes for scam call complaints. The FTC has logged 22,121 complaints from 11,273 unique phone numbers in the 979 prefix. The FCC independently recorded another 805 complaints, meaning people are reporting these numbers to multiple federal agencies.
But here is what makes 979 distinctive: 71.9% of victims are Texas residents, and 29% of victims have a 979 number themselves. This is a textbook neighbor spoofing pattern. Scammers fake a 979 caller ID because people in the Texas 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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979 Area Code at a Glance
22,121
2 per number avg
805
independent federal source
71.9%
target Texas residents
#262
of all U.S. area codes
Why Scammers Spoof 979 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 979 because it is a large, recognizable Texas area code. When your phone rings and shows a 979 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 979 numbers:
- 71.9% of victims are in Texas, confirming local targeting
- 29% of victims have a 979 number themselves, meaning scammers match the victim's own area code
- The remaining 28% of complaints come from all 50 states, showing these numbers also appear in broader campaigns
What 979 Scam Calls Are About
Not all 979 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 79.6%, meaning 8 out of 10 calls are robots. Warranties & protection plans follows at 75.5%. If your phone rings from a 979 number and you hear a recorded message about debt, tech support, or a government agency, it is almost certainly spoofed.
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends
1,812 complaints
64.5%
robocall rate
Medical & prescriptions
1,679 complaints
54.8%
robocall rate
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)
1,195 complaints
79.6%
robocall rate
Warranties & protection plans
1,184 complaints
75.5%
robocall rate
Energy, solar, & utilities
346 complaints
45.1%
robocall rate
Charities
123 complaints
56.9%
robocall rate
Most Reported 979 Numbers
These 979 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 979 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 979 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 Texas Scam Call Cluster
979 does not exist in isolation. The entire Texas metro shares five area codes, and scammers rotate through all of them. Combined, these codes account for 22,121 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 71.9%. This suggests 817 is used almost exclusively for neighbor spoofing, while 469 sees slightly more use in broader nationwide campaigns.
469
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
80,709 complaints
66.6% target Texas
817
Fort Worth, TX
77,321 complaints
82.8% target Texas
512
Austin, TX
74,501 complaints
79.9% target Texas
281
Houston, TX
69,606 complaints
82.6% target Texas
210
San Antonio, TX
69,362 complaints
78.9% target Texas
972
Dallas Suburbs, TX
68,941 complaints
80.3% target Texas
Where This Data Comes From
Every number on this page comes from federal complaint databases, not estimates or surveys. When you check a specific 979 number on ScamVerify™, we cross-reference these sources in real time along with carrier intelligence and community reports.
- FTC Do Not Call Registry - 22,121 complaints from 979 numbers. Consumers file these when they receive unwanted calls, especially from numbers on the Do Not Call list.
- FCC Consumer Complaints - 805 complaints from 979 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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