216 Area Code: Cleveland, Ohio
Area code 216 serves Cleveland, Terrace and Independence, Ohio in the Eastern time zone, in service since 1947. Consumers have filed 5,984 unwanted-call complaints against 4,524 different 216 numbers, 598 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 216 at a glance
- State
- Ohio
- Main cities
- Cleveland, Terrace, Independence, Montrose
- Counties
- Cuyahoga County, Muskingum County, Summit County
- Local time
- —Eastern
- In service since
- 1947
- Local dialing
- 7 digits allowed
- Exchanges
- 4 rate centers, 613 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 216 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 216 numbers are about
2,020 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 216 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 11% of complaints (84% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 64% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified90945%
- Dropped call / no message22911%
- Debt reduction22611%
- Impostor (government, business, family)19510%
- Medical & prescriptions19410%
- No subject given1457%
- Home improvement & cleaning523%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice20651%
- Live Voice13333%
- Text Message6316%
16% of recent FCC complaints about 216 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 216 spam calls come in
31% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 12pm and 3pm. 94% came Monday to Friday, most on Thursdays, 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?
594 FTC complaints about 216 numbers in the last four weeks, down 2% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 216 numbers peaked in 2016 (660); 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
50% of the FTC complaints about 216 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 216, and 71% from Ohio. 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
- Ohio1,43771%
- Florida563%
- Texas523%
- California462%
- Pennsylvania402%
What people with 216 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 216 filed 2,053 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 49% were about calls showing another 216 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 216 (same code)1,00249%
- 4401095%
- 833 (toll-free)583%
- 888 (toll-free)362%
- 330322%
Likely campaigns using 216 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 216 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (216) 247-xxxx | 22 | 20 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Montrose |
| (216) 803-xxxx | 21 | 20 | MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Cleveland |
| (216) 300-xxxx | 20 | 16 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Montrose |
| (216) 345-xxxxcampaign | 19 | 19 | Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS) | Terrace |
| (216) 483-xxxx | 18 | 11 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Terrace |
Carriers operating in 216
NANPA has assigned 613 216 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 4 rate centers: 36% to wireless carriers, 64% to landline and VoIP operators; 59% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 9 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-10-01). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ameritech (AT&T) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 211(34%) | 4 | 2014-11-17 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 84(14%) | 1 | 2025-08-26 |
| T-Mobile USA | Wireless | 64(10%) | 4 | 2022-03-17 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 31(5%) | 2 | 2025-10-22 |
| MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 29(5%) | 4 | 2011-07-20 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 29(5%) | 4 | 2026-08-26 |
| Spok, INC. | Wireless | 24(4%) | 3 | — |
| Teleport Communications America, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 24(4%) | 4 | 2026-10-01 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 22(4%) | 4 | 2003-03-03 |
| Bandwidth.com | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 13(2%) | 4 | 2021-10-26 |
| PAETEC (Windstream) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 13(2%) | 4 | 2022-03-28 |
| Fractel, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 8(1%) | 3 | 2021-08-03 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Cleveland (485), Terrace (54), Independence (41), Montrose (33). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 216 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 216 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 Ohio
- 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: Ohio Attorney General.
- Ohio 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 216: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 216?
Area code 216 serves Cleveland, Terrace and Independence, Ohio, covering Cuyahoga County, Muskingum County and Summit County. It has been in service since 1947.
What time zone is area code 216 in?
Area code 216 is in the Eastern time zone (UTC−5, or UTC−4 during daylight saving time). The current local time is shown at the top of this page.
What are calls from 216 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 2,020 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 216 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 11% of complaints, 84% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 64% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 216 spam calls happen?
31% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 12pm and 3pm, and 94% came on weekdays, most often on Thursday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 216 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 50% of the FTC complaints about 216 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 216, and 71% from Ohio. 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 216 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 594 FTC complaints about 216 numbers, 2% fewer than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 216 scam call in Ohio?
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 Ohio, the Ohio Attorney General also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Other Ohio 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.