208 Area Code: Boise, Idaho
Area code 208 serves Boise, Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho in the Mountain and Pacific time zone, in service since 1947. Consumers have filed 6,355 unwanted-call complaints against 5,170 different 208 numbers, 940 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 208 at a glance
- State
- Idaho
- Main cities
- Boise, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Twin Falls, Nampa + 134 more
- Counties
- Ada County, Kootenai County, Bonneville County, Bannock County + 36 more
- Local time
- —Mountain—Pacific
- In service since
- 1947
- Overlay code
- 986 (2017)
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 145 rate centers, 785 prefixes
Sources: NANPA area code and central office code records (refreshed weekly); cities and counties matched from US Census Bureau and USGS place names.
Most-reported 208 numbers
Ranked by FTC Do Not Call complaints this month, then all-time FTC and FCC complaints. Only numbers with enough complaints for a full report page are listed. Click one for what it was reported for and where.
What calls from 208 numbers are about
2,102 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 208 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 20% of complaints (84% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 65% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified96046%
- Debt reduction42120%
- Impostor (government, business, family)27313%
- Dropped call / no message1256%
- No subject given844%
- Home improvement & cleaning784%
- Medical & prescriptions633%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Live Voice24345%
- Prerecorded Voice21039%
- Text Message8616%
16% of recent FCC complaints about 208 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 208 spam calls come in
30% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 1pm and 4pm. 92% came Monday to Friday, most on Tuesdays, the pattern of call-center robocall campaigns that run on business hours. Times are as consumers reported them to the FTC.
By hour of the day
By day of the week
Is it getting worse?
931 FTC complaints about 208 numbers in the last four weeks, up 90% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 208 numbers peaked in 2021 (596); the FTC's daily Do Not Call data has carried most of the volume since mid-2026.
FTC complaints per week
FCC complaints per year
Years shown as '15 to '26; the current year is partial.
Who gets these calls
52% of the FTC complaints about 208 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 208, and 50% from Idaho. Calls that look local to the person receiving them are the signature of neighbor spoofing: robocallers display a number from your own area code because you're more likely to answer.
Where complainants live
- Idaho1,04250%
- Texas1095%
- California944%
- Florida784%
- New York492%
What people with 208 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 208 filed 3,707 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 29% were about calls showing another 208 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 208 (same code)1,08929%
- 833 (toll-free)2757%
- 877 (toll-free)2687%
- 888 (toll-free)2457%
- 855 (toll-free)2206%
Likely campaigns using 208 numbers
Groups of numbers that drew the same FTC complaint in the same pattern over the last 60 days. The grouping is statistical and doesn't identify who is calling.
Busiest 208 prefixes this month
FTC complaints in the last 30 days, grouped by the first six digits. When one prefix collects complaints about many different numbers, a campaign is usually cycling through that block. The carrier is who NANPA assigned the prefix to, not who made the calls.
| Prefix | Complaints | Numbers | Carrier | Exchange |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (208) 581-xxxxcampaign | 24 | 24 | Stratus Networks | Genesee |
| (208) 619-xxxx | 23 | 22 | MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Post Falls |
| (208) 744-xxxxcampaign | 21 | 21 | Ziply Fiber Northwest, LLC dba Ziply Fiber | Mullan |
| (208) 486-xxxx | 21 | 18 | Ziply Fiber Northwest, LLC dba Ziply Fiber | Peck |
| (208) 618-xxxxcampaign | 20 | 19 | MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Post Falls |
Carriers operating in 208
NANPA has assigned 785 208 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 145 rate centers: 28% to wireless carriers, 70% to landline and VoIP operators; 66% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. The newest assignment was 2024-06-18. The carrier holding a prefix is who the number was issued through. It says nothing about who is calling, since caller ID is routinely spoofed.
| Carrier | Type | Prefixes | Rate centers | Newest assignment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwest (CenturyLink / Lumen) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 186(24%) | 26 | 2016-04-08 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 105(13%) | 27 | 2021-03-29 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 63(8%) | 23 | 2024-06-18 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 57(7%) | 21 | 2021-03-26 |
| Ziply Fiber Northwest, LLC dba Ziply Fiber | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 54(7%) | 34 | 2012-09-14 |
| T-Mobile USA | Wireless | 47(6%) | 11 | 2021-05-24 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 29(4%) | 17 | 2020-03-02 |
| Ziply Fiber Idaho, LLC dba Ziply Fiber | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 19(2%) | 18 | — |
| Electric Lightwave LLC dba Allstream | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 18(2%) | 5 | 2017-04-06 |
| MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 18(2%) | 9 | 2018-09-18 |
| Albion Telephone CO. dba Atc Communications | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 11(1%) | 9 | — |
| Bandwidth.com | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 10(1%) | 8 | 2018-09-24 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Boise (210), Pocatello (53), Idaho Falls (51), Coeur d'Alene (50), Twin Falls (44), Nampa (28), Lewiston (18), Burley (15), Ketchum (15), Sandpoint (12). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 208 numbers
Before you call back
- Debt reduction is the top named complaint here. Don't pay upfront fees for debt relief; the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule bans them. Talk to your lender or a nonprofit credit counselor instead. Read about debt-relief robocalls.
- Look up the full number above. A missed call from 208 with no voicemail is usually a robocall; anyone who needs you will leave a message.
- If it looks like a neighbor's number, it may be spoofed. See calls from your own area code.
- Block repeat callers: iPhone, Android, or your carrier's free filter (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile).
Report it in Idaho
- Unwanted sales calls and robocalls: donotcall.gov (FTC). Scams and fraud: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Spoofing, texts and call-blocking problems: FCC consumer complaints.
- State complaints: Idaho Attorney General.
- Idaho formally adopted the FTC's National Do Not Call Registry as its own state list rather than running a separate one, so a single free registration at donotcall.gov covers you. State authorities can still enforce against telemarketers who ignore it, in addition to any federal penalty.
Your FTC and FCC reports are published (without your name or number) in the datasets this page is built from. How to report unwanted calls.
Area code 208: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 208?
Area code 208 serves Boise, Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho, covering Ada County, Kootenai County and Bonneville County and 37 more counties. It has been in service since 1947.
What time zone is area code 208 in?
Area code 208 spans Mountain and Pacific time. Most of it is in the Mountain zone (UTC−7, or UTC−6 during daylight saving time). The current local time in each zone is shown at the top of this page.
Which area codes overlay 208?
986 (in service 2017) serves the same area as 208. New numbers there can be issued with any of these codes, and local calls need all 10 digits. A spoofed call can display any of them.
What are calls from 208 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 2,102 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 208 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 20% of complaints, 84% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 65% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 208 spam calls happen?
30% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 1pm and 4pm, and 92% came on weekdays, most often on Tuesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 208 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 52% of the FTC complaints about 208 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 208, and 50% from Idaho. Calls that look local to the person receiving them are the signature of neighbor spoofing: robocallers display a number from your own area code because you're more likely to answer.
Are 208 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 931 FTC complaints about 208 numbers, 90% more than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 208 scam call in Idaho?
Report unwanted sales calls and robocalls to the FTC at donotcall.gov, and scams to ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FCC takes complaints at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov. In Idaho, the Idaho Attorney General also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Overlay and nearby area codes
Sources: FTC Do Not Call complaints (unverified consumer reports), published every weekday and available here from Jul 24; FCC Consumer Complaint Data, public record, imported nightly; NANPA numbering records. A number appearing here means consumers reported calls that displayed it. Caller ID can be spoofed.