262 Area Code: Waukesha, Wisconsin
Area code 262 serves Waukesha, Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin in the Central time zone, in service since 1999. Consumers have filed 3,913 unwanted-call complaints against 3,401 different 262 numbers, 527 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 262 at a glance
- State
- Wisconsin
- Main cities
- Waukesha, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Lake Geneva, West Bend + 54 more
- Counties
- Waukesha County, Racine County, Washington County, Walworth County + 5 more
- Local time
- —Central
- In service since
- September 25, 1999
- Split from
- 414
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 60 rate centers, 635 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 262 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 262 numbers are about
1,598 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 262 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is medical & prescriptions, at 13% of complaints (70% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 69% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified77148%
- Medical & prescriptions21013%
- Debt reduction20413%
- Impostor (government, business, family)1328%
- No subject given1107%
- Dropped call / no message1087%
- Home improvement & cleaning191%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice15954%
- Live Voice8027%
- Text Message5619%
19% of recent FCC complaints about 262 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 262 spam calls come in
32% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 9am and 12pm. 94% came Monday to Friday, most on Wednesdays, 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?
522 FTC complaints about 262 numbers in the last four weeks, up 16% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 262 numbers peaked in 2018 (347); 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
59% of the FTC complaints about 262 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 262, and 67% from Wisconsin. 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
- Wisconsin1,06667%
- Florida745%
- California644%
- Illinois322%
- Texas302%
What people with 262 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 262 filed 1,940 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 48% were about calls showing another 262 number. The most common named subject was impostor calls (people pretending to be a government agency, a business or family).
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 262 (same code)94048%
- 833 (toll-free)724%
- 877 (toll-free)704%
- 888 (toll-free)603%
- 414503%
Likely campaigns using 262 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 262 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (262) 354-xxxx | 22 | 22 | Teleport Communications America, LLC Wi | Oconomowoc |
| (262) 304-xxxx | 16 | 12 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Cedarburg |
| (262) 372-xxxx | 13 | 13 | Level 3 (Lumen) | Sussex |
| (262) 464-xxxxcampaign | 12 | 11 | Eon Telecom, INC. | Belgium |
| (262) 401-xxxx | 10 | 10 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Cedarburg |
Carriers operating in 262
NANPA has assigned 635 262 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 60 rate centers: 29% to wireless carriers, 69% to landline and VoIP operators; 77% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 6 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-09-03). 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) | 142(22%) | 31 | 2010-02-01 |
| Teleport Communications America, LLC Wi | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 52(8%) | 46 | 2020-08-20 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 47(7%) | 13 | 2025-11-24 |
| T-Mobile USA | Wireless | 43(7%) | 19 | 2025-04-29 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 39(6%) | 23 | 2026-07-28 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 38(6%) | 31 | 2020-08-13 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 36(6%) | 11 | 2024-04-05 |
| UScellular | Wireless | 28(4%) | 15 | 2022-07-28 |
| PAETEC (Windstream) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 24(4%) | 15 | 2008-07-30 |
| Fractel, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 16(3%) | 16 | 2021-08-18 |
| MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 16(3%) | 14 | — |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 15(2%) | 15 | 2002-05-29 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Waukesha (74), Milwaukee (67), Racine (53), Kenosha (49), Lake Geneva (23), West Bend (22), Menomonee Falls (19), Oconomowoc (19), Burlington (17), Thiensville (16). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 262 numbers
Before you call back
- Medical & prescriptions is the top named complaint here. Don't confirm your Medicare or insurance number to a caller. Medicare won't cold-call you to sell braces, test kits or plans. Read about Medicare scam calls.
- Look up the full number above. A missed call from 262 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 Wisconsin
- 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: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
- Wisconsin 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 262: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 262?
Area code 262 serves Waukesha, Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin, covering Waukesha County, Racine County and Washington County and 6 more counties. It has been in service since September 25, 1999. It was split from area code 414.
What time zone is area code 262 in?
Area code 262 is in the Central time zone (UTC−6, or UTC−5 during daylight saving time). The current local time is shown at the top of this page.
What are calls from 262 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 1,598 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 262 numbers. The most common named subject was medical & prescriptions: 13% of complaints, 70% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 69% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 262 spam calls happen?
32% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 9am and 12pm, and 94% came on weekdays, most often on Wednesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 262 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 59% of the FTC complaints about 262 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 262, and 67% from Wisconsin. 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 262 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 522 FTC complaints about 262 numbers, 16% more than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 262 scam call in Wisconsin?
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 Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Other Wisconsin 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.