406 Area Code: Billings, Montana
Area code 406 serves Billings, Missoula and Helena, Montana in the Mountain time zone, in service since 1947. Consumers have filed 3,448 unwanted-call complaints against 2,966 different 406 numbers, 530 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 406 at a glance
- State
- Montana
- Main cities
- Billings, Missoula, Helena, Great Falls, Bozeman, Kalispell + 238 more
- Counties
- Yellowstone County, Missoula County, Gallatin County, Lewis and Clark County + 52 more
- Local time
- —Mountain
- In service since
- 1947
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 260 rate centers, 754 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 406 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 406 numbers are about
1,348 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 406 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 13% of complaints (91% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 66% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified67750%
- Debt reduction17613%
- Impostor (government, business, family)1189%
- No subject given987%
- Dropped call / no message977%
- Medical & prescriptions917%
- Warranties & protection plans191%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice11245%
- Live Voice8233%
- Text Message5622%
22% of recent FCC complaints about 406 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 406 spam calls come in
29% 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?
523 FTC complaints about 406 numbers in the last four weeks, up 4% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 406 numbers peaked in 2017 (301); 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
61% of the FTC complaints about 406 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 406, and 58% from Montana. 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
- Montana78558%
- California735%
- Florida443%
- Oregon423%
- Kansas252%
What people with 406 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 406 filed 1,772 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 47% were about calls showing another 406 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 406 (same code)82747%
- 877 (toll-free)734%
- 833 (toll-free)654%
- 866 (toll-free)623%
- 855 (toll-free)533%
Likely campaigns using 406 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 406 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.
Carriers operating in 406
NANPA has assigned 754 406 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 260 rate centers: 28% to wireless carriers, 70% to landline and VoIP operators; 70% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 2 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-06-05). 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) | 132(18%) | 56 | 2015-05-12 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 119(16%) | 51 | 2024-06-07 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 74(10%) | 39 | 2026-01-15 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 43(6%) | 33 | 2022-09-08 |
| Triangle Tel. Coop. Assn., INC. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 39(5%) | 38 | — |
| Nemont Tel Coop INC | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 33(4%) | 33 | — |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 27(4%) | 21 | 2023-02-22 |
| Mid-Rivers Tel. Coop., INC. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 27(4%) | 27 | — |
| 3 Rivers Tel. Coop., INC. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 26(3%) | 25 | — |
| Charter (Spectrum Voice) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 26(3%) | 16 | 2025-03-18 |
| Blackfoot Tel. Coop., INC. | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 22(3%) | 22 | — |
| CenturyLink (Lumen) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 21(3%) | 14 | — |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Billings (72), Missoula (47), Helena (38), Great Falls (37), Bozeman (32), Kalispell (25), Butte (17), Miles City (10), Sidney (9), Hamilton (8). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 406 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 406 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 Montana
- 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: Montana Department of Justice.
- Montana 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 406: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 406?
Area code 406 serves Billings, Missoula and Helena, Montana, covering Yellowstone County, Missoula County and Gallatin County and 53 more counties. It has been in service since 1947.
What time zone is area code 406 in?
Area code 406 is in the Mountain time zone (UTC−7, or UTC−6 during daylight saving time). The current local time is shown at the top of this page.
What are calls from 406 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 1,348 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 406 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 13% of complaints, 91% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 66% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 406 spam calls happen?
29% 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 406 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 61% of the FTC complaints about 406 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 406, and 58% from Montana. 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 406 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 523 FTC complaints about 406 numbers, 4% more than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 406 scam call in Montana?
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 Montana, the Montana Department of Justice also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Other Montana 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.