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Area code 872

Area code 872 serves Illinois, including Chicago Zone 01, Chicago Zone 03 and Chicago Zone 04 (Central time). It has been in service since November 7, 2009.

Numbers starting with 872 drew 1,228 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 695 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so an 872 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
IllinoisChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Central
In service since
November 7, 2009Created from 312
Overlay
None: the only code for its area
Local calls
Dial 1 + 10 digits
Exchanges in use
281 of 792held by 38 carriers
Projected to run out
1Q 2051NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 872 numbers

Reports where the number on the consumer's caller ID (or, for the FCC, the number the caller asked them to call back) starts with 872. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

FTC reports, Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026

1,228

FCC complaints since November 2023

695

Different 872 numbers reported

1,486

FCC complaints naming an 872 number, by month

November 2023 to October 2026. Source: FCC Consumer Complaints Data.

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202323
December 202324
January 202422
February 202417
March 202413
April 202414
May 202422
June 202431
July 202435
August 202426
September 202432
October 202459
November 202431
December 20249
January 202510
February 202525
March 20256
April 20256
May 202532
June 202545
July 202528
August 20259
September 20258
October 20250
November 20255
December 20255
January 20264
February 20264
March 202614
April 20268
May 20268
June 202613
July 202616
August 202614
September 202623
October 202632

What people said 872 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 798 of 1,228 reports were robocalls.

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SubjectReports
Other522
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)317
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends122
Dropped call or no message108
Warranties and protection plans15
Energy, solar, and utilities10

Most reported 872 numbers

Numbers with at least five reports from three or more places in the last twelve months. Many of them are likely spoofed.

Places served by 872

NANPA lists 11 rate centers for 872. A rate center is the town or district a block of numbers is tied to for billing; sorted here by how many exchanges each holds.
  • Chicago Zone 0139
  • Chicago Zone 0336
  • Chicago Zone 0432
  • Chicago Zone 0730
  • Chicago Zone 0830
  • Chicago Zone 0228
  • Chicago Zone 0624
  • Chicago Zone 1022
  • Chicago Zone 0921
  • Chicago Zone 0516
  • Chicago Zone 113

Phone companies holding 872 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 100% of these exchanges are pooled: their numbers are handed out in blocks of 1,000 to other carriers, so the holder below is not always the company serving a given number.

Exchanges held, top 8 of 38 carriers

NANPA central office code assignments, file of November 11, 2026.

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
T-Mobile USA, Inc.67
Onvoy, LLC57
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - IL30
Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC - IL19
Ton80 Communications, LLC13
Fractel, LLC11
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - IL9
Commio, LLC8

When today's 872 exchanges were assigned

Exchanges still assigned, by year of assignment. Exchanges returned since are not counted.

Show as a table
YearExchanges
20094
201010
201114
201211
201326
201421
201513
20168
20175
20198
202021
202132
202230
202319
202425
202513
202614

Check an 872 number

A check shows the carrier and rate center of the number's exchange and every FTC and FCC report about that exact number. Why the number on screen can be fake.

Other area codes in Illinois

NANPA area code database and central office code file of November 11, 2026; FCC complaints November 1, 2023 to November 11, 2026; FTC reports August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. How the data is used.

Official sources (7)Show