716 Area Code: Buffalo, New York
Area code 716 serves Buffalo, Tonawanda and Jamestown, New York in the Eastern time zone, in service since 1947. Consumers have filed 5,449 unwanted-call complaints against 4,388 different 716 numbers, 335 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 716 at a glance
- State
- New York
- Main cities
- Buffalo, Tonawanda, Jamestown, Williamsville, Niagara Falls, Lancaster + 73 more
- Counties
- Erie County, Chautauqua County, Niagara County, Cattaraugus County + 3 more
- Local time
- —Eastern
- In service since
- 1947
- Overlay code
- 624 (2023)
- Codes split off
- 585 (2001)
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (area code + number)
- Exchanges
- 79 rate centers, 768 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 716 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 716 numbers are about
1,281 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 716 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 26% of complaints (89% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 71% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified55443%
- Debt reduction33626%
- Impostor (government, business, family)1109%
- No subject given816%
- Dropped call / no message705%
- Medical & prescriptions524%
- Lotteries, prizes & sweepstakes322%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice33670%
- Live Voice10422%
- Text Message419%
Live-voice calls are from a person; prerecorded calls are robocalls.
When 716 spam calls come in
30% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 1pm and 4pm. 90% 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?
334 FTC complaints about 716 numbers in the last four weeks, down 18% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 716 numbers peaked in 2018 (720); 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
Only 42% of the FTC complaints about 716 numbers came from New York residents; the most came from California, Florida and Texas. 716 numbers are being used for nationwide campaigns, so the area code says little about where the caller is.
Where complainants live
- New York54042%
- California887%
- Florida816%
- Texas514%
- Pennsylvania363%
What people with 716 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 716 filed 1,640 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 24% were about calls showing another 716 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 716 (same code)40124%
- 833 (toll-free)443%
- 877 (toll-free)362%
- 855 (toll-free)362%
- 866 (toll-free)332%
Likely campaigns using 716 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 716 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (716) 722-xxxx | 8 | 8 | Fractel, LLC | Holland |
| (716) 267-xxxx | 8 | 7 | Windstream | Kennedy |
| (716) 766-xxxx | 7 | 7 | Fractel, LLC | Tonawanda |
| (716) 612-xxxx | 7 | 3 | Commio, LLC | Williamsville |
| (716) 469-xxxx | 6 | 6 | Hd Carrier LLC | Niagara Falls |
Carriers operating in 716
NANPA has assigned 768 716 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 79 rate centers: 32% to wireless carriers, 64% to landline and VoIP operators; 78% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 8 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-10-07). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon (landline) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 192(25%) | 53 | 2008-06-25 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 95(12%) | 8 | 2023-07-21 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 79(10%) | 18 | 2026-10-07 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 45(6%) | 27 | 2026-09-03 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 40(5%) | 25 | 2016-05-06 |
| Omnipoint Communications, INC. | Wireless | 32(4%) | 8 | 2024-10-24 |
| PAETEC (Windstream) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 32(4%) | 17 | 2016-05-16 |
| Twc Ip Enabled Services, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 27(4%) | 25 | 2018-05-02 |
| Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS) | Wireless | 25(3%) | 9 | 2018-03-19 |
| Windstream | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 23(3%) | 14 | — |
| Bandwidth.com | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 20(3%) | 16 | 2022-11-08 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 20(3%) | 20 | 2021-11-09 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Buffalo (266), Tonawanda (74), Jamestown (41), Williamsville (41), Niagara Falls (27), Lancaster (22), Lockport (17), West Seneca (17), Olean (15), Hamburg (10). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 716 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 716 with no voicemail is usually a robocall; anyone who needs you will leave a message.
- Block repeat callers: iPhone, Android, or your carrier's free filter (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile).
Report it in New York
- 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: New York Attorney General.
- New York 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 716: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 716?
Area code 716 serves Buffalo, Tonawanda and Jamestown, New York, covering Erie County, Chautauqua County and Niagara County and 4 more counties. It has been in service since 1947.
What time zone is area code 716 in?
Area code 716 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.
Which area codes overlay 716?
624 (in service 2023) serves the same area as 716. 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 716 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 1,281 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 716 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 26% of complaints, 89% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 71% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 716 spam calls happen?
30% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 1pm and 4pm, and 90% came on weekdays, most often on Wednesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 716 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. Only 42% of the FTC complaints about 716 numbers came from New York residents; the most came from California, Florida and Texas. 716 numbers are being used for nationwide campaigns, so the area code says little about where the caller is.
Are 716 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 334 FTC complaints about 716 numbers, 18% fewer than the four weeks before.
How do I report a 716 scam call in New York?
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 New York, the New York Attorney General also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Other New York 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.