How the scam works
A robocaller dials your number and hangs up after a ring or two, sometimes again and again, hoping you call back. The toll you run up is largely paid to the scammer. The FCC's glossary uses the Japanese name for it, “Wangiri”, and notes that the single ring often comes late at night.
A variant leaves a voicemail instead: an urgent message about a delivery to schedule or a sick relative, with a call-back number in an unfamiliar area code. The FCC's “809 scam” is exactly that.
Area codes that ring abroad
The North American Numbering Plan covers the US, Canada and 18 other countries and territories, mostly in the Caribbean. Their numbers have the same ten-digit shape as US numbers, so nothing on your screen says the call is international. The FCC's examples are 809 (Dominican Republic) and 649 (Turks and Caicos); its guide also cites 232, which is Sierra Leone's country code.
Reports naming numbers in these area codes
FTC reports published August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026 plus FCC complaints since November 1, 2023, top 10.
Show as a table
| Area code and country | Reports |
|---|---|
| 876 Jamaica | 180 |
| 658 Jamaica | 28 |
| 829 Dominican Republic | 27 |
| 809 Dominican Republic | 22 |
| 849 Dominican Republic | 20 |
| 869 St. Kitts & Nevis | 13 |
| 264 Anguilla | 11 |
| 868 Trinidad & Tobago | 11 |
| 345 Cayman Islands | 9 |
| 242 Bahamas | 7 |
All 21 area codes in the plan that ring outside the US and Canada, from NANPA's area code database:
| Area code | Country or territory |
|---|---|
| 242 | Bahamas |
| 246 | Barbados |
| 264 | Anguilla |
| 268 | Antigua/Barbuda |
| 284 | British Virgin Islands |
| 345 | Cayman Islands |
| 441 | Bermuda |
| 473 | Grenada |
| 649 | Turks & Caicos Islands |
| 658 | Jamaica |
| 664 | Montserrat |
| 721 | Sint Maarten |
| 758 | St.lucia |
| 767 | Dominica |
| 784 | St. Vincent & Grenadines |
| 809 | Dominican Republic |
| 829 | Dominican Republic |
| 849 | Dominican Republic |
| 868 | Trinidad & Tobago |
| 869 | St. Kitts & Nevis |
| 876 | Jamaica |
What calling back can cost
If you call back, you risk being connected to a number outside the US and charged a fee for connecting, plus significant per-minute fees for as long as the other end keeps you on the line. The FCC says these charges can show up on your bill as premium services, international calling or toll calling.
How to protect yourself
- Do not answer or return calls from numbers you do not recognize.
- Before calling an unfamiliar number, check whether the area code is international (the table above, or a check on this site).
- If you never make international calls, ask your phone company to block outgoing international calls on your line.
- Check your phone bill for charges you do not recognize.
Since a 2020 FCC order, phone companies may legally block the robocalls behind one-ring scams.
If you were charged
Try your phone company first. If it will not fix the charge, you can file a complaint with the FCC at no cost; if you think you were the victim of an international phone scam, you can also report it to the FTC.