281 Area Code: Langham Creek, Texas
Area code 281 serves Langham Creek, Houston and Bammel, Texas in the Central time zone, in service since 1996. Consumers have filed 7,748 unwanted-call complaints against 6,008 different 281 numbers, 751 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 281 at a glance
- State
- Texas
- Main cities
- Langham Creek, Houston, Bammel, Sugar Land, Spring, Apollo + 37 more
- Counties
- Harris County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, Brazoria County + 4 more
- Local time
- —Central
- In service since
- November 2, 1996
- Overlay of
- 713
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 45 rate centers, 786 prefixes
Sources: NANPA area code and central office code records (refreshed weekly); cities and counties matched from US Census Bureau and USGS place names.
Reported 281 numbers
No single 281 number has enough complaints yet for a full report page, so none are listed. Look up the exact number that called you: the lookup works on every US number, whether or not it has complaint history.
What calls from 281 numbers are about
2,614 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 281 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is impostor calls (people pretending to be a government agency, a business or family), at 12% of complaints (71% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 61% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified1,34251%
- Impostor (government, business, family)32212%
- Dropped call / no message30912%
- Medical & prescriptions27110%
- No subject given1385%
- Debt reduction1295%
- Warranties & protection plans412%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Live Voice15347%
- Prerecorded Voice10833%
- Text Message6219%
19% of recent FCC complaints about 281 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 281 spam calls come in
33% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 9am and 12pm. 96% 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?
852 FTC complaints about 281 numbers in the last four weeks, up 4% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 281 numbers peaked in 2018 (856); 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
77% of the FTC complaints about 281 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 281, and 89% from Texas. 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
- Texas2,33389%
- Oregon371%
- Florida341%
- Illinois211%
- California201%
What people with 281 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 281 filed 4,142 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 49% were about calls showing another 281 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 281 (same code)2,01949%
- 8321754%
- 3461574%
- 888 (toll-free)1083%
- 713972%
Busiest 281 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (281) 535-xxxx | 16 | 10 | Frontier Communications | Kemah |
| (281) 953-xxxx | 11 | 11 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Houston |
| (281) 805-xxxx | 10 | 9 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Houston suburbs |
| (281) 429-xxxx | 9 | 9 | Brightspeed of Texas, INC. | Porter Heights |
| (281) 317-xxxx | 9 | 8 | Onvoy (Sinch) | Friendswood |
Carriers operating in 281
NANPA has assigned 786 281 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 45 rate centers: 23% to wireless carriers, 77% to landline and VoIP operators; 58% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 2 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-02-06). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Bell (AT&T) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 283(36%) | 26 | 2017-10-17 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 66(8%) | 6 | 2026-02-06 |
| Frontier Communications | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 57(7%) | 12 | — |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 50(6%) | 7 | 2017-11-02 |
| Windstream | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 38(5%) | 1 | — |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 32(4%) | 20 | 2024-11-20 |
| MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 31(4%) | 15 | 2019-02-08 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 29(4%) | 21 | 2017-05-01 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 26(3%) | 17 | 2010-04-22 |
| Grande Communications Networks, INC. | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 24(3%) | 21 | 2006-01-05 |
| Aerial Communications, INC. | Wireless | 23(3%) | 5 | 2022-03-03 |
| Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS) | Wireless | 22(3%) | 5 | 2013-06-18 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Houston (148), Houston suburbs (131), Bammel (60), Sugar Land (44), Spring (35), Apollo (28), Humble (24), Langham Creek (24), Baytown (21), Barker (20). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 281 numbers
Before you call back
- Impostor (government, business, family) is the top named complaint here. Hang up and call the agency, bank or relative back on a number you already know. Government agencies don't demand payment by gift card, wire transfer or crypto. Read about Social Security impostor calls and fake bank fraud calls.
- Look up the full number above. A missed call from 281 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 Texas
- 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: Texas Attorney General.
- Texas is one of the states that maintains its own Do Not Call registry alongside the federal National Do Not Call Registry, so telemarketers calling Texas numbers are expected to check both lists. Registering on the federal list at donotcall.gov is free and never expires; the state list is administered separately and may have its own registration process and renewal period.
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 281: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 281?
Area code 281 serves Langham Creek, Houston and Bammel, Texas, covering Harris County, Fort Bend County and Galveston County and 5 more counties. It has been in service since November 2, 1996.
What time zone is area code 281 in?
Area code 281 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.
Which area codes overlay 281?
832 (in service 1999), 346 (in service 2014) and 621 (in service 2025) serve the same area as 281. 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 281 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 2,614 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 281 numbers. The most common named subject was impostor calls (people pretending to be a government agency, a business or family): 12% of complaints, 71% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 61% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 281 spam calls happen?
33% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 9am and 12pm, and 96% came on weekdays, most often on Tuesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 281 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 77% of the FTC complaints about 281 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 281, and 89% from Texas. 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 281 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 15, consumers filed 852 FTC complaints about 281 numbers, 4% more than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 281 scam call in Texas?
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 Texas, the Texas 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.