Area code
Area code 838 — Albany, NY
New York · in service since September 19, 2017
Area code 838 covers parts of New York; the place with the most of its prefixes is Albany. It is an overlay: 518 serves the same area, so neighbors can have different area codes.
Overlay, same area: 518
Local time in Albany
Spam reports from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026
Average #207 of 461 codes
453 FTC complaints
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC.
See the reports- Time zoneEastern Time
- Local calls10 digits
- Prefixes244 assigned
- Runs out~2Q 2064
- Unwanted call?Block & report
Spam call reports about 838 numbers
Complaints by week
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026Show as table
| Week starting | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Sep 7 (3 days) | 14 |
| Sep 14 | 122 |
| Sep 21 | 163 |
| Sep 28 | 108 |
| Oct 5 | 79 |
| Oct 12 | 89 |
| Oct 19 (4 days) | 73 |
Compared with all codes
- Robocalls
- 92%all codes 75%
- Callers with the same code
- 4%all codes 35%
- Rank by complaints
- #207of 461 · middle half
- FCC complaints, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026
- 602 about text messages
What the calls were about
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| Subject | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans) | 355 55% | |
| Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends | 33 5% | |
| Dropped call or no message | 5 1% | |
| Lotteries, prizes & sweepstakes | 3 <1% | |
| Medical & prescriptions | 3 <1% | |
| Warranties & protection plans | 3 <1% |
Where the people who complained live
Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026
| State | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 75 12% | |
| Florida | 67 10% | |
| California | 62 10% | |
| Texas | 31 5% | |
| Illinois | 29 4% |
October 2026 (partial) report · most reported
Consumer reports, not verified by the FTC · source
Source: FTC Do Not Call complaints created Sep 11 – Oct 22, 2026. They are reported by consumers and are not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed (how we count).
Source: FCC Consumer Complaints data, unwanted calls filed Oct 1, 2025 – Sep 30, 2026, by caller ID; not verified by the FCC.
Area code 838 location and prefixes
| Exchange (NANPA) | Place | County | Prefixes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALBANY | Albany | Albany County | 29 |
| COLONIE | Colonie | Albany County | 10 |
| SCHENCTADY | Schenectady | Schenectady County | 10 |
| JOHNSTOWN | Johnstown | Fulton County | 9 |
| TROY | Troy | Rensselaer County | 8 |
| HUDSON | Hudson | Columbia County | 5 |
| AMSTERDAM | Amsterdam | Montgomery County | 4 |
| CATSKILL | Catskill | Greene County | 4 |
| GLENSFALLS | Glens Falls | Warren County | 4 |
| HOOSICKFLS | Hoosick Falls | Rensselaer County | 4 |
Plus 97 smaller exchange areas.
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026; places: U.S. Census Bureau, matched by DialWhere (how).
NANPA record
- Location
- New York
- Assigned by NANPA
- September 16, 2016
- Local dialing
- 10 digits (NANPA: 10D)
- NANPA planning letters
- PL-497
Source: NANPA, NPA database of Oct 24, 2026.
Is 838 running out of numbers?
Previous forecast (October 2025): 2056, moved later by 8 years.
Forecast exhaust year by edition
Source: NANPA NRUF forecast, April 2026 edition.
Who holds 838 prefixes
The five largest of 45 original holders
As listed by NANPA, not today’s carrier.
| Holder (as listed) | Prefixes | |
|---|---|---|
| Onvoy, Llc- Ny | 54 22% | |
| Fractel, LLC | 33 14% | |
| Onvoy Spectrum, LLC | 20 8% | |
| New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC | 19 8% | |
| Coretel New York, Inc. | 16 7% |
Source: NANPA CO codes of Oct 23, 2026.
Questions about area code 838
What area code is 838?
A New York area code, in service since September 19, 2017.
Where is 838 area code, and what time zone is it in?
Albany, NY; Eastern Time.
Why am I getting spam calls from 838?
453 FTC complaints from Sep 23 – Oct 22, 2026, most often about debt reduction (not verified by the FTC; caller ID can be spoofed).
Will 838 get a new area code?
NANPA forecasts exhaust in 2Q 2064; no relief planning listed.