410 Area Code — Baltimore, Maryland
About the 410 Area Code
Area code 410 covers Baltimore, Maryland, a metropolitan market with a diverse mix of mobile, landline, and VoIP subscribers across residential and commercial accounts. Primary carriers include AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile USA. The area encompasses Baltimore, Annapolis, and Towson and operates in the Eastern time zone, supporting a broad range of modern telecommunications services.
Key Information
- Region: Baltimore
- State / Province: Maryland
- Timezone: Eastern
- Major Cities: Baltimore, Annapolis, Towson
Area Code Overview
Area code 410 is one of Maryland's original 1947 area codes (as part of 301 before its 1991 split), serving Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County (Annapolis), Harford County, and the Eastern Shore — creating a geographically diverse footprint that spans the nation's largest estuary ecosystem, a major port city, the state capital, and the NSA/Fort Meade national security corridor. Overlay code 443 was added in 1997. Baltimore is home to Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Hospital — the world's first research hospital, consistently ranked number one in the nation — as well as the University of Maryland Medical System, creating a healthcare research concentration that generates specific fraud patterns. Maryland runs one of the most active state lotteries in the country, and Pimlico Race Course hosts the Preakness Stakes each May.
Scam Patterns in 410
Baltimore City Department of Public Works Water Account Fraud
The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) manages water and sewer billing for Baltimore's 600,000-plus residents. DPW's billing has been a subject of ongoing controversy — with documented billing errors, meter inaccuracies, and disputes — creating a population that receives legitimate DPW communications with heightened anxiety. Scam texts from 410 numbers impersonate Baltimore DPW or its billing contractor, claiming an account is past due and water service will be shut off within 24 hours unless payment is made through a link or prepaid card. The DPW's actual disconnection process requires mailed notice and a grace period — same-day shutoff by text payment demand is not a DPW procedure.
Maryland Lottery Prize Claim Notification Scams
Maryland's Lottery offers Powerball, Mega Millions, Keno, Racetrax, and an extensive scratch-off portfolio, with over $1.5 billion in annual ticket sales. Scam texts from 410 numbers claim recipients have won a second-chance drawing, a Keno jackpot, or a scratch-off prize that requires a "claim initiation fee" or tax escrow payment before the winnings can be released. The Maryland Lottery never requires upfront payment to claim a prize; all prizes over $600 are claimed in person at a Lottery retailer or Lottery office. The Maryland Lottery has maintained a specific public advisory page about prize notification scams for multiple consecutive years.
Johns Hopkins Clinical Trial Recruitment Fraud
Johns Hopkins conducts hundreds of active clinical research studies across medicine, public health, and behavioral science — and legitimately recruits participants via advertising and text outreach. Scam texts from 410 numbers impersonate Johns Hopkins IRB coordinators or School of Medicine research offices, offering above-market compensation for study participation and requesting Social Security numbers, insurance information, or a "biometric processing fee" before a scheduled screening appointment. Johns Hopkins' legitimate studies are registered at clinicaltrials.gov, charge no enrollment fees, and process compensation only after completed study visits.
VoIP and Spoofing Risk Assessment
Risk Level: MODERATE
410 retains substantial landline heritage from Baltimore's established institutions — Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, state government agencies, and Port of Baltimore operations all hold significant 410 landline blocks. This gives the code a moderate legitimacy baseline. DPW water fraud is specifically harmful in Baltimore's lower-income neighborhoods, where genuine billing disputes and affordability challenges make residents more vulnerable to urgent payment pressure. Maryland Lottery fraud is perennial and peaks around major jackpot events.
What To Do If You Receive a Text From a 410 Number
Step 1: Verify Baltimore water accounts through DPW directly. Contact Baltimore City DPW at 410-396-5398 or log into your account at payment.baltimorecity.gov. Water disconnections require prior mailed notice and cannot be prevented by paying a text link.
Step 2: Look up the number. Search at Who Sent That Text Message to check for prior reports, especially for utility payment demands, lottery prize notifications, or clinical trial recruitment.
Step 3: Verify any Maryland Lottery prize through an authorized retailer. Scan your ticket at any Maryland Lottery retailer or check the Maryland Lottery app. No prize requires an upfront payment to claim. See our guide on how to identify text message scams.
Step 4: Report. Forward to 7726 (SPAM). Report utility fraud to the Maryland PSC at psc.state.md.us. Report lottery fraud to the Maryland Lottery at mdlottery.com. File with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
What area code is 410?
Area code 410 serves Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County (Annapolis), Harford County, and Maryland's Eastern Shore. It was split from 301 in 1991 and shares Baltimore metro coverage with overlay 443 added in 1997.
Is area code 410 used for scams?
410 is Baltimore's legitimate area code. Documented scam patterns include Baltimore City DPW water account shutoff impersonation, Maryland Lottery prize claim notification fraud, and Johns Hopkins clinical trial recruitment scams. Verify any 410 text involving water utility payments, lottery winnings, or research study enrollment through official channels.
Why does Baltimore's DPW billing history make water shutoff scams more effective?
Baltimore's water billing system has been publicly documented to produce billing errors, unexplained spikes, and disputed charges — and the city's lead pipe replacement program has generated genuine DPW outreach to residents. A population already anxious about their water bill accuracy, and already receiving legitimate DPW communications about billing changes, is significantly more likely to respond to a false shutoff notice than a population with confidence in their utility's billing reliability.
Related Area Codes
- 443 — The 1997 Baltimore metro overlay. Covers identical geography to 410; newer numbers in the Baltimore area and Eastern Shore may carry 443.
- 301 — Western Maryland and the DC suburbs (Rockville, Gaithersburg, Bethesda, Prince George's County). The original code that 410 split from in 1991.
- 202 — Washington, D.C. Many Baltimore residents work in or commute to the DC metro area.
Carriers & Network Type for 410 Numbers
Network mix: Mixed — 410 numbers include mobile, landline, and VoIP lines.
Common Scam Patterns
FCC complaint data for 410 numbers includes:
- Robocall/Auto-dialer
- Spoofed caller ID
- IRS/Government impersonation
- Tech support scam
If You Got a Text from 410
Who Typically Calls from the 410 Area Code?
Area code 410 covers Baltimore, Maryland, a metropolitan market with a diverse mix of mobile, landline, and VoIP subscribers across residential and commercial accounts. Primary carriers include AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile USA. The area encompasses Baltimore, Annapolis, and Towson and operates in the Eastern time zone, supporting a broad range of modern telecommunications services. Calls from 410 numbers originate in Baltimore, Maryland. Residents, local businesses, schools, medical offices, and government agencies in this region all use 410 numbers. If you received an unexpected call or text from a 410 number, it may be a neighbor, a local service provider, or — in some cases — an unwanted solicitor.
Because 410 is a legitimate, widely used area code, scammers sometimes spoof it to make their calls appear local and trustworthy. This technique — called neighbor spoofing — makes it more likely that recipients will answer. A reverse phone lookup is the fastest way to find out whether a 410 number is genuinely local or spoofed.
Is a 410 Phone Number Spam?
Not all 410 calls are spam, but the area code is not immune to robocall campaigns and phone scams. Common complaints about 410 numbers include warranty extension scams, debt collection harassment, IRS impersonation calls, and unsolicited insurance offers.
If a 410 number called you and didn't leave a voicemail, that's a red flag — legitimate callers typically leave a message. Use Who Sent That Text Message to look up the number instantly and see whether other users have flagged it as spam.
You can also report a suspicious 410 number directly from our lookup results, helping protect others in the community from the same caller.
Look Up a 410 Number Now
Enter any 410 area code phone number below and get instant results — carrier, line type, caller name (where available), and spam reports submitted by real users.
Other Area Codes in Maryland
Maryland has multiple area codes serving different regions. If the number you received isn't from 410, check one of the other Maryland area codes below.