Area code 284 is the local
telephone 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 (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 or
Canada dial 1-284 + seven digit
phone number.
One ring scam
The 284 area code has been linked to a form of
telephone fraud 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), 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
* Area codes in the Caribbean
* Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom
References
External links
North American Numbering Plan Administrator
Telecommunications in the British Virgin Islands
284
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Year 284 ( CCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Carinus and Numerianus (or, less frequently, year 1037 ...
Communications in the British Virgin Islands
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