What Is Area Code 516?
Area code 516 serves Nassau County on Long Island, New York — the densely populated suburban region that stretches east from the New York City borough of Queens to the Suffolk County line. The code covers some of the most recognizable communities in the New York metropolitan area, including Hempstead, Levittown, Valley Stream, Garden City, Mineola, Freeport, Long Beach, Oceanside, and Great Neck, among many others.
516 was originally part of the 914 area code, which once blanketed all of New York State outside of New York City. In 1951, Nassau and Suffolk Counties were split off as area code 516, covering all of Long Island. As the population of Long Island grew dramatically through the mid-20th century, demand for telephone numbers surged. In 2000, Suffolk County was reassigned to the newly created area code 631, leaving 516 exclusively for Nassau County. Today 516 remains one of the most recognized codes in the New York metropolitan area, associated with one of the wealthiest and most populous counties in the United States.
02Nassau County LI Cities and Coverage Area
Area code 516 covers every incorporated village, town, and city within Nassau County, including the following communities:
- Hempstead — The largest town in Nassau County and one of the most populous in New York State, serving as a major commercial and civic hub for the region.
- Levittown — Famous as one of America's first planned suburban communities, built by William Levitt after World War II and now a densely populated residential area.
- Valley Stream — A diverse village located just over the Queens border, home to Green Acres Mall and a busy retail corridor along Sunrise Highway.
- Garden City — An affluent incorporated village known for its tree-lined streets, Adelphi University, and proximity to Roosevelt Field Mall.
- Mineola — Nassau County's county seat, home to the Nassau County Supreme Court, several major hospitals, and the Long Island Rail Road hub.
- Freeport — A bayside village on the South Shore well known for its Nautical Mile restaurant and marina district along the waterfront.
- Long Beach — A barrier island city on the Atlantic Ocean, popular for its boardwalk and beaches and served by its own Long Island Rail Road branch.
- Oceanside — A South Shore hamlet in the Town of Hempstead known for its residential neighborhoods and proximity to Jones Beach State Park.
- Great Neck — A North Shore peninsula community with a strong commercial district and often cited as inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald's "West Egg" in The Great Gatsby.
Nassau County does not currently have an overlay area code — 516 is the sole code for the region — though neighboring Suffolk County uses area code 631, and calls from eastern Long Island will appear with that prefix instead.
03Common Scam Calls from Area Code 516
Social Security and Government Impersonation
Scammers frequently spoof 516 numbers to impersonate officials from the Social Security Administration or Nassau County government agencies, telling targets that their Social Security number has been "suspended" due to suspicious activity. Because Nassau County residents are statistically older and more affluent than the national average, they are disproportionately targeted with these high-pressure government impersonation schemes. Callers may claim your assets will be seized unless you act immediately.
Utility and LIPA/PSEG Scams
PSEG Long Island (which manages electricity delivery for most of Nassau County) is routinely impersonated by scammers who call residents threatening to shut off power within hours unless they pay an overdue balance via gift card or wire transfer. These calls spike during winter months and around the holidays, when the threat of losing heat feels most alarming. The real PSEG Long Island will never demand payment by gift card over the phone.
Mortgage and Real Estate Fraud
Given Nassau County's high property values — median home prices regularly exceed $600,000 — mortgage relief and deed fraud scams are common. Callers posing as lenders or financial counselors offer to lower interest rates or modify loans, then charge upfront fees and disappear. Homeowners in communities like Levittown and Valley Stream have reported receiving repeated calls from spoofed 516 numbers pitching these fraudulent services.
IRS and Tax Debt Threats
Each year around tax season, Nassau County residents report a surge in calls from numbers with a 516 prefix claiming to be IRS agents threatening arrest for unpaid back taxes. These callers often already have partial personal information — a name or address — making the call feel disturbingly credible. The IRS initiates contact through postal mail, never an unsolicited phone call demanding immediate payment.
How to Look Up a 516 Phone Number
If you've received a suspicious call from a 516 number, several free and paid methods can help you identify the caller before you call back.
Google the number
Type the full 10-digit number — for example, 516-555-0143 — directly into Google's search bar. Many scam and telemarketing numbers have been reported on public forums, news sites, or consumer-complaint pages, and a quick search will often surface those results immediately. This takes under 30 seconds and costs nothing.
Check spam-report databases
Sites like 800notes, WhoCallsMe, and CallerSmart aggregate user-submitted reports about specific numbers. Search the 516 number on any of these platforms to see whether other Nassau County residents or people across the country have flagged it as a robocall, scam, or telemarketer, and read the comments for details about what the caller said.
Run a reverse phone lookup
A reverse phone lookup service can return the registered owner's name, address history, carrier information, and public records associated with a number. This method provides the most complete results and is especially useful when free searches come up empty — a situation that's increasingly common with newer numbers, prepaid phones, or spoofed lines that rotate frequently.
Contact your carrier
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all offer free call-labeling and spam-detection tools built into their networks. These services automatically tag likely spam and scam calls before your phone even rings, reducing the chance you'll pick up a fraudulent 516 call in the first place.
Is Area Code 516 Safe?
The vast majority of calls you receive from 516 numbers are completely legitimate. Nassau County is home to major employers and institutions that call residents regularly — Northwell Health (which operates North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore), NYU Langone Hospital–Long Island in Mineola, the Nassau County Police Department, the Nassau County Department of Social Services, Nassau Community College in Garden City, and dozens of local school districts including the Hempstead Union Free School District and Valley Stream Central High School District. These organizations make thousands of outbound calls every day for appointment reminders, school alerts, and community notifications.
The concern arises because caller ID spoofing technology allows anyone — anywhere in the world — to make a call appear to originate from a Nassau County 516 number. A scammer operating overseas can display any 516 prefix they choose, making their call look like it's coming from your local hospital, bank, or government office. This means the area code alone is not a reliable indicator of whether a call is safe.
Context is your best guide: if you've recently had an appointment at a Mineola medical office, a callback from a 516 number makes perfect sense. If you receive an unsolicited 516 call out of nowhere demanding money or personal information, treat it with extreme skepticism regardless of what the caller ID says.
06How to Block 516 Numbers
On iPhone
Open your Phone app and navigate to your recent calls list. Tap the information icon (the "i" in a circle) next to the 516 number you want to block, then scroll to the bottom and select "Block this Caller." Blocked numbers will go straight to voicemail. You can also enable Silence Unknown Callers under Settings > Phone, which will automatically silence any call from a number not in your contacts — useful if you're being inundated with spoofed 516 numbers.
On Android
Open your Phone app and go to your recent calls. Long-press the 516 number you want to block, then tap "Block" or "Block/Report Spam" depending on your device manufacturer. On Pixel phones running stock Android, the built-in Google Phone app includes a real-time caller ID and spam protection feature that can be enabled under Settings > Caller ID & Spam — turning this on will automatically screen suspected robocalls before they reach you.
Through your carrier
- Verizon — Call Filter is available free to postpaid customers and automatically identifies and filters spam calls; an upgraded paid tier adds a personal block list and spam lookup features accessible through the Call Filter app.
- AT&T — ActiveArmor provides free automatic fraud call blocking and spam warnings for all AT&T wireless customers, with an advanced paid version offering reverse number lookup and a more aggressive blocking mode.
- T-Mobile — Scam Shield is a free suite of tools for T-Mobile customers that includes Scam Likely labeling, scam call blocking, and a caller ID feature; customers can activate it through the T-Mobile app or by dialing #ONB# (#662#).
Apps & the Do Not Call list
Third-party apps like Nomorobo, Hiya, and RoboKiller offer robust call-blocking and identification that works across carriers, using large crowdsourced databases to flag problematic numbers in real time — including frequently spoofed 516 numbers. Additionally, if you're receiving unwanted telemarketing calls, register your number at donotcall.gov; legitimate telemarketers are legally required to honor the National Do Not Call Registry within 31 days of registration.
07Recent Reports from 516 Numbers
The following are representative examples of the types of calls that have been reported from 516 numbers by consumers across Nassau County and beyond.
Caller claimed to be a Nassau County Sheriff's deputy and stated the recipient had missed jury duty, threatening immediate arrest unless a fine was paid via prepaid debit card within the hour.
Automated message claiming the recipient's car warranty was about to expire and urging them to press 1 to speak with a representative — a classic vehicle warranty robocall scam that has been widely reported across Long Island.
Caller posed as a PSEG Long Island representative, asked the customer to "verify" their account by providing their full Social Security number and date of birth, stating their account had been flagged for unusual activity.
Live caller offered a discounted home security monitoring package, claiming to represent a company that "works with Nassau County homeowners" — pressuring the recipient to commit to a contract without sending any written information first.
The number appeared to belong to a real medical office in Mineola, but the caller was not affiliated with that office — the number had been spoofed to appear local and trustworthy while the caller attempted to collect insurance and billing information.
Got a suspicious 516 call? Report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
08Frequently Asked Questions About Area Code 516
Is area code 516 a scam?
What city is area code 516?
How do I find out who called me from 516?
Can I block all calls from area code 516?
Is 516 a mobile or landline area code?
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