Scam Calls from Area Code 973

Dropped calls and silent hang-ups define area code 973's complaint profile more than any other pattern. Of 1,334 total complaints logged across 550 numbers since February 2026, 305 fall into the dropped-call or no-message category, nearly three times the volume of the next closest bucket. FCC records reinforce this: abandoned calls account for 10 of the mode entries across just 7 FCC filings, dwarfing the 4 live and 4 prerecorded contacts logged there. Numbers 973-852-7124 and 973-200-5436 are the named drivers in this category, with 12 and 9 complaints respectively, and both remain active as of June 2026.

Debt-reduction pitches form the clearest secondary threat. The category drew 106 complaints overall, and 973-476-4981 is the standout number, carrying 11 complaints on its own and sitting among the top three most-complained-about numbers in the entire code. These calls typically target credit cards, mortgages, and student loans, and their concentration here suggests an operation working northern New Jersey residential exchanges with some consistency.

Impersonation calls — callers posing as government agencies, businesses, or personal contacts — logged 99 complaints, close behind the debt category. Medical and prescription solicitations added 62 more, and energy, solar, and utility pitches contributed 51. Together these three categories account for roughly 16 percent of total complaints and point to a code being worked across multiple script types simultaneously.

Several of the highest-complaint numbers carry no assigned category. 973-621-0060 leads the entire top-numbers list with 18 complaints and no categorization, followed by 973-363-9051 at 10, 973-715-6297 and 973-387-6478 each at 9, and 973-457-8731 at 8. That five of the eight most-complained-about numbers in 973 resist classification suggests either rapid number rotation or call behavior — short rings, immediate disconnects — that prevents recipients from characterizing what they heard.

Geographically, complaints trace back to Clifton, North Caldwell, Pompton Lakes, Sparta, and Roselle Park, a spread across both densely populated and suburban-rural corners of the 973 footprint. Activity began in February 2026 and has continued without interruption through June. With 550 active numbers generating complaints and no sign of deceleration, the code appears to be supporting a durable multi-vector operation rather than a short-run campaign, and the high proportion of unclassified high-volume numbers suggests the most active lines are deliberately obscuring their purpose.