863 Area Code: Lakeland, Florida
Area code 863 serves Lakeland, Winter Haven and Avon Park, Florida in the Eastern time zone, in service since 1999. Consumers have filed 4,347 unwanted-call complaints against 3,596 different 863 numbers, 605 of them with the FTC in the last 30 days. Look up the exact number that called you below.
Area code 863 at a glance
- State
- Florida
- Main cities
- Lakeland, Winter Haven, Avon Park, Haines City, Lake Wales, Sebring + 16 more
- Counties
- Polk County, Highlands County, Hardee County, DeSoto County + 4 more
- Local time
- —Eastern
- In service since
- September 20, 1999
- Split from
- 941
- Local dialing
- 7 digits allowed
- Exchanges
- 22 rate centers, 471 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 863 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 863 numbers are about
2,418 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 863 numbers since Jul 24. The most common named subject is debt-relief pitches, at 31% of complaints (90% of those were recorded messages). Overall, 78% of callers who answered said the call was a robocall.
FTC complaint subjects
- Other / unspecified95439%
- Debt reduction75131%
- Impostor (government, business, family)25210%
- No subject given1697%
- Medical & prescriptions1095%
- Dropped call / no message1044%
- Warranties & protection plans231%
FCC complaints by call type, last 2 years
- Prerecorded Voice22967%
- Live Voice8826%
- Text Message278%
Live-voice calls are from a person; prerecorded calls are robocalls.
When 863 spam calls come in
30% of complaints that give a call time describe calls between 10am and 1pm. 92% 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?
600 FTC complaints about 863 numbers in the last four weeks, down 26% on the four weeks before. FCC complaints about 863 numbers peaked in 2015 (382); 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 41% of the FTC complaints about 863 numbers came from Florida residents; the most came from California, Illinois and Texas. 863 numbers are being used for nationwide campaigns, so the area code says little about where the caller is.
Where complainants live
- Florida1,00341%
- California1707%
- Illinois1044%
- Texas974%
- Georgia843%
What people with 863 numbers report
People whose own number starts with 863 filed 1,505 FTC complaints since Jul 24. 41% were about calls showing another 863 number. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches.
Area codes on the calls they reported
- 863 (same code)62441%
- 833 (toll-free)715%
- 855 (toll-free)463%
- 877 (toll-free)433%
- 888 (toll-free)403%
Likely campaigns using 863 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 863 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (863) 336-xxxxcampaign | 26 | 26 | Peerless Network | Frostproof |
| (863) 391-xxxxcampaign | 24 | 23 | Ip Horizon LLC | Bartow |
| (863) 238-xxxxcampaign | 21 | 21 | Peerless Network | Avon Park |
| (863) 290-xxxxcampaign | 18 | 17 | Ip Horizon LLC | Indian Lake Estates |
| (863) 703-xxxx | 16 | 16 | Teleport Communications America, LLC | Indian Lake Estates |
Carriers operating in 863
NANPA has assigned 471 863 prefixes (NPA-NXX central-office codes) across 22 rate centers: 34% to wireless carriers, 64% to landline and VoIP operators; 79% are pooled blocks shared by several carriers. 7 prefixes were assigned in the last 12 months (newest 2026-07-07). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Communications | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 78(17%) | 10 | 2006-08-24 |
| CenturyLink (Lumen) | Incumbent landline (ILEC) | 46(10%) | 12 | 2002-09-06 |
| Verizon Wireless (Cellco Partnership) | Wireless | 45(10%) | 11 | 2026-02-20 |
| AT&T Mobility (New Cingular Wireless PCS) | Wireless | 36(8%) | 13 | 2025-05-02 |
| Aerial Communications, INC. | Wireless | 31(7%) | 7 | 2025-11-14 |
| Onvoy (Sinch) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 25(5%) | 14 | 2026-02-02 |
| PAETEC (Windstream) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 21(4%) | 10 | 2003-05-08 |
| Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS) | Wireless | 18(4%) | 6 | 2021-08-26 |
| Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS) | Wireless | 17(4%) | 6 | 2022-02-04 |
| Level 3 (Lumen) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 16(3%) | 12 | 2002-12-19 |
| Fractel, LLC | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 13(3%) | 8 | 2021-07-27 |
| MCImetro (Verizon Business) | Competitive / VoIP (CLEC) | 13(3%) | 6 | 2003-04-14 |
Largest rate centers (exchanges) by prefixes: Lakeland (114), Winter Haven (77), Avon Park (29), Haines City (27), Lake Wales (27), Sebring (23), Bartow (22), Arcadia (18), Okeechobee (17), Lake Placid (15). Source: NANPA Central Office Code Utilized Assignments (public, refreshed weekly).
What to do about calls from 863 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 863 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 Florida
- 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: Florida Attorney General.
- Florida is one of the states that maintains its own Do Not Call registry alongside the federal National Do Not Call Registry, so telemarketers calling Florida 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 863: questions answered from the data
Where is area code 863?
Area code 863 serves Lakeland, Winter Haven and Avon Park, Florida, covering Polk County, Highlands County and Hardee County and 5 more counties. It has been in service since September 20, 1999. It was split from area code 941.
What time zone is area code 863 in?
Area code 863 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.
What are calls from 863 numbers usually about?
Since Jul 24, consumers filed 2,418 FTC Do Not Call complaints about 863 numbers. The most common named subject was debt-relief pitches: 31% of complaints, 90% of them recorded messages. Across all subjects, 78% of callers who answered the question said the call was a robocall.
When do 863 spam calls happen?
30% of the complaints that give a call time describe calls between 10am and 1pm, and 92% came on weekdays, most often on Tuesday. Times are as consumers reported them.
Are calls from 863 numbers really local?
Not necessarily. Only 41% of the FTC complaints about 863 numbers came from Florida residents; the most came from California, Illinois and Texas. 863 numbers are being used for nationwide campaigns, so the area code says little about where the caller is.
Are 863 robocalls increasing?
In the four weeks to Oct 20, consumers filed 600 FTC complaints about 863 numbers, 26% fewer than the four weeks before.
How do I report an 863 scam call in Florida?
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 Florida, the Florida Attorney General also handles consumer complaints about scam calls. Reports feed the public data this page is built from.
Other Florida 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.