Area code 284 is the local
telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
area code
A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...
of the
British Virgin Islands
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = Territorial song
, song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands"
, image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg
, map_caption =
, mapsize = 290px
, image_map2 = Brit ...
(BVI). The 284 area code was created during a split from the original
(809) area code which began permissive dialing on 1 October 1997 and ended 30 September 1998.
When in the British Virgin Islands, the seven digits should be dialed alone. When calling to the British Virgin Islands from anywhere in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
or
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
dial 1-284 + seven digit
phone number
A telephone number is a sequence of digits assigned to a landline telephone subscriber station connected to a telephone line or to a wireless electronic telephony device, such as a radio telephone or a mobile telephone, or to other devices f ...
.
One ring scam
The 284 area code has been linked to a form of
telephone fraud
Phone fraud, or more generally communications fraud, is the use of telecommunications products or services with the intention of illegally acquiring money from, or failing to pay, a telecommunication company or its customers.
Many operators hav ...
known as the "one ring scam". The person perpetuating the scam calls the victim via a robodialer or similar means, sometimes at odd hours of the night and then hangs up when the phone is answered, with the hope that the victim will be curious enough to call the number back. When the victim does this, an automatic $19.95 international call fee is charged to their account as well as $9.00/min thereafter. Similar scams have been linked to Grenada (
area code 473
Area code 473 is the local telephone area code of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The 473 area code, which spells GRE, was created during a split from the original 809 area code which began permissive dialing on 31 October 1997 and ende ...
), Antigua (
area code 268
Area code 268 is the telephone area code of Antigua and Barbuda. The 268 area code, or "(ANT)" was created during a split from the original 809 area code which began permissive dialing 1 April 1996 and ended 31 March 1997.
The 268 area code is pa ...
), Jamaica (
area codes 876 and 658
Area codes 876 and 658 are the local telephone area codes of Jamaica. The first area code, 876, was created during a split from the original 809 area code. Permissive dialing began 1 May 1997 and ended 1 May 1998.
Area code 876 serves the coun ...
) and the Dominican Republic (
area code 809
Area codes 809, 829, and 849 are telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Dominican Republic. As all NANP members, the Dominican Republic uses country code ''1'', and has similar dialing procedures for dialing the ...
).
How the ‘one ring scam' can cost you money
Herb Weisbaum, CNBC, 8 Feb 2014
See also
*List of NANP area codes
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) divides the territories of its members into geographic numbering plan areas (NPAs). Each NPA is identified by one or more numbering plan area codes (''NPA codes'', or ''area codes''), consisting of three di ...
*North American Numbering Plan
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1 and has the international callin ...
*Area codes in the Caribbean The integration of the Caribbean telephone networks into the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) began with the assignment of area codes in the Caribbean in 1958, when area code 809 was designated for Bermuda and any other potential participant isl ...
*Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom
Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom are administered by the Office of Communications (Ofcom). For this purpose, Ofcom established a telephone numbering plan, known as the ''National Telephone Numbering Plan'', which is the system for assi ...
References
External links
North American Numbering Plan Administrator
Telecommunications in the British Virgin Islands
284
Communications in the British Virgin Islands
{{areacode-stub