Scam Calls from Area Code 862

Area code 862, a New Jersey geographic code with reported activity concentrated in Clifton, Rockaway, Woodbridge, and Runnemede, has generated 646 complaints across 292 distinct numbers since February 2026, with activity still ongoing as of June 2026. Among New Jersey area codes specifically, it ranks 39th out of 51, placing it in the middle tier of sibling codes rather than at the extreme ends of the state's volume picture.

The single largest complaint category is dropped calls or no message, accounting for 123 complaints, a pattern consistent with high-volume autodialers probing for live recipients before routing to an agent or recording. Close behind is debt-reduction solicitation at 105 complaints, covering credit cards, mortgages, and student loans, making financial-pressure pitches the dominant substantive scam type in the code. Impersonation calls pretending to be government agencies, businesses, or family members add another 44 complaints, with warranty and protection-plan pitches contributing 23 more and medical or prescription solicitations accounting for 13.

The number 862-441-2279 leads all individual lines with 18 complaints, all flagged as dropped calls, suggesting it functions as a dialer front end. 862-571-7558 carries 7 complaints explicitly tied to debt-reduction pitches. Four additional numbers, 862-420-5913, 862-414-0848, 862-799-4731, and 862-256-7407, each sit at 5 to 6 complaints and are also categorized as dropped-call lines. Two numbers, 862-457-1680 and 862-358-4640, carry 6 and 5 complaints respectively with no category on record.

FCC filings tied to this code are sparse at 5 records, but the mode breakdown is notable: prerecorded delivery accounts for 49 instances against just 1 live call, confirming that the overwhelming operational posture here is automated. Complaints have also surfaced from California and Florida, and one reported location falls in Millington, Tennessee, indicating that while 862 is a New Jersey assignment, the call traffic is not confined to local targets.

The threat profile is one of sustained, automation-heavy outreach using a large pool of numbers to suppress per-line complaint accumulation, with debt solicitation as the primary revenue-seeking angle and dropped-call traffic serving as the volume layer that tests line availability. The spread across multiple states and the code's continued activity through mid-2026 suggest an operation that has not contracted.