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! Phone Scam Alerts by Country Code

Looking for a specific scam type? Browse all scam type profiles (pig butchering, wangiri, romance, tech support, lottery, grandparent, IRS impersonation, crypto recovery).

Phone scams cost victims worldwide over $12 billion in 2024, with most calls originating from a small number of high-risk country codes. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) consistently link the same country codes to wangiri callbacks, advance-fee fraud, lottery scams, romance scams, and pig butchering. Knowing where a call comes from is the single fastest way to gauge whether it's safe to answer or call back.

DialCode tracks 19 high-risk country codes with detailed scam profiles: the specific fraud schemes operated from each region, warning signs to watch for, what to do if you've been targeted, and how to block calls at the carrier level. All content is sourced from public FTC, IC3, and Action Fraud reports - no speculation, no clickbait. If you've received a suspicious call, look up the country code below or use the search on the home page.

▲ High-risk profiles
Philippines Philippines +63 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
The Philippines (+63) has become a major source of phone scams targeting US, UK, and Australian numbers. Many of these calls originate from organized scam compounds, often using...
Nigeria Nigeria +234 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Nigeria (+234) is famous for the '419 scam' (named after Nigerian criminal code section 419), the original advance-fee fraud. Modern Nigerian scam calls have evolved to include ...
Jamaica Jamaica +1-876 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Jamaica's +1-876 area code is one of the most notorious for scam calls in the world, primarily driven by lottery and prize fraud targeting elderly Americans. Because Jamaica sha...
Ghana Ghana +233 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Ghana (+233) has emerged as a hub for romance scams targeting Western victims. Scammers in Ghana operate sophisticated long-term operations, often working in groups from interne...
Cote d'Ivoire Cote d'Ivoire +225 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Cote d'Ivoire (+225) is a major source of advance-fee fraud targeting French-speaking countries (France, Belgium, Quebec) as well as English speakers. Scams here often follow Ni...
Cameroon Cameroon +237 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Cameroon (+237) is widely associated with the 'puppy scam' - fake pet sales requiring upfront payment for animals that don't exist. Scammers also run advance-fee and romance scams.
North Korea North Korea +850 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Real outbound calls from North Korea are virtually impossible due to strict government controls. Any call displaying +850 to a Western number is essentially guaranteed to be spo...
Myanmar Myanmar +95 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Myanmar has become a hub for industrial-scale 'pig butchering' romance and crypto investment scams, often run from compounds where trafficking victims are forced to scam Western...
Iraq Iraq +964 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Like other conflict-affected countries, +964 calls to Western numbers are often spoofed. Real calls from Iraq are rare for most users; suspicious calls usually involve impersona...
Afghanistan Afghanistan +93 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Legitimate calls from +93 are extremely rare for most Western countries. Calls displaying this code are almost always spoofed numbers used for impersonation scams or are part of...
Benin Benin +229 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Benin is one of the lesser-known but active West African scam hubs. Like neighboring Nigeria and Ghana, scammers target French-speaking and English-speaking Western victims with...
Libya Libya +218 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Most calls from +218 to Western numbers are wangiri (one-ring) scams. Real outbound calls from Libya are uncommon for most users.
Congo (DRC) Congo (DRC) +243 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Calls from +243 are often part of advance-fee or 'distressed person' scams. Scammers sometimes pose as humanitarian workers, refugees, or businesspeople seeking help with money ...
Sudan Sudan +249 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Sudan's ongoing conflict has led to spoofed +249 numbers being used in humanitarian fraud schemes. Real outbound calls are limited.
Somalia Somalia +252 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Somalia (+252) is associated with wangiri scams and targeted fraud against the Somali diaspora. Real calls are rare for non-Somali speakers.
Yemen Yemen +967 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Yemen's ongoing conflict means real outbound calls from +967 are extremely rare. Most calls displaying this code are spoofed for charity fraud or wangiri.
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone +232 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Sierra Leone is a smaller player in West African fraud but follows similar patterns: advance-fee, inheritance, and romance scams.
Liberia Liberia +231 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
Liberia, like other West African countries, hosts advance-fee and romance scam operations. Volume is lower than Nigeria but tactics are similar.
South Sudan South Sudan +211 HIGH
FTC / IC3 reported
South Sudan has minimal legitimate international calling. Calls from +211 are often spoofed or part of charity fraud.