Utah Police Warn Of Phone Scam From Grenada Area Code

UTAH, U.S.A. CMC – Police are warning residents not to answer calls coming from the 473 international area code, assigned to Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique in the Caribbean.

Utah police said the phone scam could result in a huge, unwanted charge on residents’ phone bills.

The authorities said some residents have been receiving calls from the number 473-520-9774 and other 473 area code numbers. They said the caller is moaning and claiming to be in distress.

Police warn residents not to answer or call back if they receive a call from the number or area code, warning doing so would result in a large connection fee.

The Utah Department of Public Safety Cyber Crimes Unit and the Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC) said they are working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other Utah law enforcement agencies to “provide any additional information that may safeguard the people of Utah.

“First and foremost, we ask people to block all calls from area code 473. Do not answer, as this is an aggressive scam targeting Utah phone numbers. If you answer this call, you may hear someone in distress, they will then hang up,” the authorities said in a statement.

“They expect that you will call back. They will then capture confidential information from your phone that can result in thousands of dollars being charged to phone accounts just by answering or calling back. This is a scam, be aware.”

Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety, Keith Squires, said his department was “aggressively working to minimize the impact of this scam for Utah citizens who may be targeted”.