It’s been a hot minute since memorizing phone numbers we dialed often was the convention.
Today, not much consideration is paid to the phone number when calling someone.
There are also some cases where overlaying area codes are in place– double areas code for one location.
In this article, we will talk about one such area code, area code 986.
What does area code 986 stand for?
Area code 986 is the prefix that precedes phone numbers and is geographically assigned to the state of Idaho. It was put into use to overlay the area code 208. This worked to the effect of differentiating phone numbers in the state that had the same last seven digits.
Why Do We Need to Know Our Area Codes?
We don’t pay much heed to contact numbers and area codes today.
This is due to the advent of mobile phones where we can simply click on a contact to call them.
All such advancements have rendered landlines outdated.
Nevertheless, there are still some cases where one has no option but to take the phone number into account as in the case of calls from unknown numbers.
Unless we know the area code of the phone number, we cannot tell where the caller is from.
Area codes are of varying lengths around the world, ranging from 1-5 digits.
It’s important to note that not all area codes are assigned to certain geographic areas.
Some of them are used for toll-free services such as area code 844.
These services allow customers to have long-distance communication with businesses without incurring heavy charges.
What More Do We Know About the Area Code 986?
Numerous local numbering systems were replaced by AT&T in the 1940s with the North American Numbering Plan.
This plan introduced 3 digit area codes in phone numbers in Canada, the United States, and other parts of North America.
Area codes help us identify where someone is calling from.
While most places only have one area code, there are instances where two area codes are in place to allow room for more number combinations to exist within the same location.
As such, area code 986 works with area code 208 in Idaho, ensuring that no home has the same phone number as another.
So, if you get a call from a phone number with area code 986, it is from Idaho, and the same applies to area code 208.
The state of Idaho only had one area code till 2017 when area code 986 was added to it.
These area codes help route phone traffic and enable the smooth functioning of the call system.
How Can I Tell Who’s Calling Me From Area Code 986?
In addition, it is not uncommon for one to receive hoax calls and other nuisance calls and messages from such phone numbers.
So, one has to be wary of the phone number to ensure they are not picking up such a call.
There are many ways you could employ to find out about the owner of a phone number.
Google the Number starting with 986
The first and most basic to do is to Google the number.
While this is what most of us will do by instinct, there are 90% chances that this would not be of much use.
However, if you are lucky enough, the name of the phone number you put in the search bar might just pop up on your first search.
If not, then you’ll just come across useless websites that have listed numbers to acquire search traffic as a way of gaining an audience for their advertisements.
Regardless, the fact that this method is the quickest and easiest makes it worth a shot.
Use a Reverse Phonebook
Another way you could employ to find out who is trying to call you from area code 986 is to search the phone number in a reverse phone book.
A reverse phonebook works in an opposite manner as compared to a regular phone book, hence the name.
In reverse phone books, you can look up the name of a company or person who owns a particular phone number by entering the phone number itself.
There are many websites that offer the reverse phone book service, however, not all of them are reliable.
Many of these websites are misleading and scrolling through them would be a waste of time, for they have listed random phone numbers to acquire advertisement revenue.
Those online reverse phone books that guarantee legitimate services are unfortunately not free of cost.
Use a Caller Tracing App
In a similar vein, there are many apps available on android and iOS such as Truecaller that you can use to look up a phone number.
However, they will only give you the names of contacts that have signed up on the app as well.
Overall, the attempt at tracking the person behind an unknown call is akin to taking a long shot.
This is because today’s swindlers employ foolproof techniques that make it very hard to track them.
They spoof legitimate phone numbers like those with area code 986 to scam their target.
As such, they use randomly generated phone numbers with the help of special software.
So, even if you find out about the owner of the phone number, you would be getting mad at the wrong person, for it was the crook who called you, not them.
The real culprit, however, could just use an alternate phone number to continue bothering you.
In such cases, you always have the option to report the call to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for them to take care of the situation.
The FCC is responsible for the acquisition of phone numbers in the United States.
It is also recommended that you do not return calls from an unknown phone number.
Instead, you can text them back to see if they are someone you know or a random caller.
Conclusion
Area code 986 has been assigned for use in the state of Idaho along with area code 208 by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator.
Along with routing phone traffic within the state, such an overlay of area codes ensures that no individual has the same phone number as another.