Scam Calls from Area Code 617

Area code 617, covering Boston and surrounding Massachusetts communities including Quincy, West Roxbury, and Waltham, has generated 1,305 complaints across 409 numbers since February 2026, with activity still ongoing as of June 2026. Within its peer group of 43 Massachusetts-adjacent codes, it ranks 17th, a mid-tier but steady presence. The complaint load is spread across a recognizable mix of debt-reduction pitches, impersonation calls, medical and prescription solicitations, and technical-support fraud, with 238 complaints logged simply as dropped calls or silent connections.

The single heaviest number in the code is 617-788-8600, which has drawn 108 complaints without a resolved category. That volume alone accounts for roughly 8 percent of all 617 complaints and places it well above any other number in the set. The next two highest, 617-343-5600 with 44 complaints and 617-469-2300 with 22, are similarly unclassified, suggesting either rapid number rotation or complaints that outpaced categorization before analysts could assign a type.

Among the categorized numbers, 617-675-4444 stands out with 42 complaints attributed to computer and technical support scams, a category that produced 45 total complaints across the code. That concentration means a single number is responsible for nearly the entire technical-support complaint load in 617. Debt-reduction calls account for 160 complaints overall, the second-largest named category, with 617-762-3000 contributing 18 of those. Impersonation of government, businesses, or family members added 68 complaints, and medical and prescription calls added 60 more.

Of the 15 FCC records tied to 617, the delivery breakdown leans heavily toward prerecorded messages at 74, with live calls at 71 and abandoned calls at 6. That near-even split between robocall and live-agent delivery is notable because it points to operations with enough infrastructure to run both simultaneously, rather than low-effort autodialers alone.

The threat profile here is one of sustained, multi-vector pressure from a code with strong Boston-area geographic anchoring but complaint reach extending into New York and California. With the top number still unclassified and several others in the same position, the true category distribution is likely more concentrated than the labeled data shows. The ongoing recency flag and the volume clustering around a handful of numbers suggest an active campaign that has not yet wound down.