608 Area Code: Madison, Wisconsin
Area code 608 serves Madison, Janesville and La Crosse, Wisconsin in the Central time zone, in service since 1955. Consumers have filed 4,084 unwanted-call complaints against 3,553 different 608 numbers, 431 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 608 at a glance
- State
- Wisconsin
- Main cities
- Madison, Janesville, La Crosse, Beloit, Middleton + 152 more
- Counties
- Dane County, Rock County, La Crosse County, Sauk County + 16 more
- Local time
- —Central
- In service since
- 1955
- Overlay code
- 353 (2023)
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 159 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 608 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 608 numbers are about
1,961 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 608 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 16% of complaints (91% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 70% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified87645%
- Debt reduction31616%
- Impostor (government, business, family)23812%
- Medical & prescriptions20711%
- Dropped call / no message1467%
- No subject given1136%
- Home improvement & cleaning261%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice13352%
- Live Voice7128%
- Text Message5321%
21% of recent FCC complaints about 608 numbers are about text messages, not calls.
When 608 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 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?
421 FTC complaints about 608 numbers in the last four weeks, down 40% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 608 numbers peaked in 2018 (338); 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
69% of the FTC complaints about 608 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 608, and 73% 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
- Wisconsin1,42273%
- Colorado603%
- Texas442%
- Illinois422%
- Florida412%
What people with 608 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 608 filed 3,216 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 42% were about calls showing another 608 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 608 (same code)1,34842%
- 833 (toll-free)1926%
- 877 (toll-free)1455%
- 888 (toll-free)1244%
- 855 (toll-free)1184%
Likely campaigns using 608 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 608 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (608) 814-xxxx | 15 | 3 | T-Mobile USA | Beloit |
| (608) 339-xxxx | 11 | 11 | Frontier Communications | Adams |
| (608) 367-xxxx | 11 | 4 | Stratus Networks | Beloit |
| (608) 336-xxxx | 7 | 7 | Utelco, INC. | Monroe |
| (608) 730-xxxx | 7 | 7 | Hd Carrier LLC | Stoughton |
Carriers operating in 608
NANPA has assigned 785 608 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 159 rate centers: 29% to wireless carriers, 66% to landline and VoIP operators; 75% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. The newest assignment was 2025-08-21. 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) | 80(10%) | 6 | 2015-04-28 |
| UScellular | Wireless | 76(10%) | 36 | 2025-04-04 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 54(7%) | 29 | 2024-02-14 |
| Frontier Communications | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 53(7%) | 42 | 2001-05-11 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 50(6%) | 35 | 2025-08-21 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 46(6%) | 16 | 2025-08-06 |
| T-Mobile USA | Wireless | 28(4%) | 16 | 2025-05-23 |
| Charter (Spectrum Voice) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 25(3%) | 23 | 2024-03-14 |
| Brightspeed of Central Wisconsin, LLC | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 24(3%) | 19 | 2001-06-12 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 23(3%) | 11 | 2022-01-31 |
| Tds Metrocom, LLC | Unclassified | 22(3%) | 6 | 2008-08-12 |
| Ton80 Communications, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 22(3%) | 22 | 2022-03-18 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Madison (197), Janesville (45), La Crosse (41), Beloit (25), Middleton (17), Stoughton (13), Baraboo (12), Monroe (11), Tomah (10), Dodgeville (9). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 608 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 608 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 608: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 608?
Area code 608 serves Madison, Janesville and La Crosse, Wisconsin, covering Dane County, Rock County and La Crosse County and 17 more counties. It has been in service since 1955.
What time zone is area code 608 in?
Area code 608 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 608?
353 (in service 2023) serves the same area as 608. 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 608 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 1,961 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 608 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 16% of complaints, 91% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 70% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 608 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 Tuesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 608 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. 69% of the FTC complaints about 608 numbers came from people whose own phone number also starts with 608, and 73% 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 608 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 421 FTC complaints about 608 numbers, 40% fewer than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 608 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.