317 Area Code — Indianapolis, Indiana
Reviewed by Jordan Lee, Digital Safety Researcher — Last updated January 2026
About the 317 Area Code
Area code 317 covers Indianapolis, Indiana, 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 Indianapolis and Carmel and operates in the Eastern time zone, supporting a broad range of modern telecommunications services.
Key Information
- Region: Indianapolis
- State / Province: Indiana
- Timezone: Eastern
- Major Cities: Indianapolis, Carmel
Area Code Overview
Area code 317 is one of Indiana's original 1947 area codes, serving Indianapolis and Marion County as well as several surrounding counties in the Indianapolis metropolitan area — Hamilton, Hendricks, and Johnson counties were included before suburban areas eventually gained 463 as an overlay. Indianapolis is the twelfth-largest city in the United States and one of the least-expensive major metros, which has contributed to consistent growth. The city is home to Eli Lilly and Company's world headquarters, the Indiana University Health system, the NCAA headquarters, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway — the largest sporting venue in the world by seating capacity.
The Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever compete at Gainbridge Fieldhouse downtown; the Colts play at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis hosts the Indy 500 in May — one of the most-attended single-day sporting events on the planet, with 250,000+ spectators — as well as the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race. The convention business is substantial, with the Indiana Convention Center regularly hosting GenCon, the world's largest tabletop gaming convention, and the Big Ten and NCAA tournament events. This event density creates predictable fraud windows tied to specific dates on the Indianapolis calendar.
Scam Patterns in 317
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indy 500 Ticket and Parking Fraud
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway holds over 250,000 spectators — nearly the entire city of Indianapolis would fit in the stands. Indy 500 tickets, particularly in the Paddock, Penthouse, and Tower Terrace sections, are passed down through families for generations; premium seats for Race Day are nearly impossible to obtain through official channels close to the event. Scam texts from 317 numbers offer Turn 4 seats, pit passes, or garage access passes — requiring immediate Venmo or Zelle payment to a private seller. A specific variant impersonates IMS official communications, claiming a ticket lottery allocation or waitlist position has been activated. The IMS handles ticket resale through its official platform at ims.com; any off-platform transaction is unverified.
Indiana Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicaid Enrollment Fraud
Indiana has one of the highest uninsured rates in the Midwest, and the state Medicaid program (Healthy Indiana Plan, or HIP) enrolls over 2 million residents. Scam texts from 317 numbers impersonate the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) or Marketplace navigators, claiming that health coverage is lapsing, that HIP enrollment must be renewed, or that a premium tax credit requires banking verification. During open enrollment periods and after life events (job loss, birth, marriage), Hoosiers are especially responsive to texts about health insurance coverage — because they are legitimately expecting communications from these programs.
GenCon and Convention Hotel and Event Package Scams
GenCon, the world's largest tabletop gaming convention, draws over 70,000 attendees to Indianapolis each August. Hotel availability within walking distance of the convention center sells out months in advance, with room rates tripling during the convention. Scam texts from 317 numbers offer "cancellation blocks" of hotel rooms, convention floor packages, or Artist Alley table resales — requiring Venmo or CashApp payment before a confirmation is sent. The convention industry's reliance on digital ticketing and room block management makes these texts credible to attendees who are accustomed to navigating complex booking logistics for major events.
VoIP and Spoofing Risk Assessment
Risk Level: MODERATE
317 maintains a moderate VoIP profile given Indianapolis's established business base and significant legacy landline infrastructure in government, healthcare, and pharmaceutical sectors. The Indy 500 fraud pattern is the most event-concentrated scam in the 317 calling area — the single May weekend of the race generates an outsized fraud volume, with scammers activating 317 VoIP numbers specifically for the race week window. Indiana's health insurance fraud exploits a genuine coverage gap in a state with historically high uninsured rates.
What To Do If You Receive a Text From a 317 Number
Step 1: Buy Indy 500 tickets through IMS official channels only. Visit ims.com for official resale. Official secondary markets include Ticketmaster and IMS-authorized resellers. Any private sale via Venmo or Zelle for race tickets, pit passes, or parking has no fraud recourse.
Step 2: Look up the number. Search at Who Sent That Text Message for prior reports, especially for Indy 500 ticket offers, Indiana Medicaid or health insurance alerts, or convention hotel or event package texts.
Step 3: Verify Indiana health insurance status through official portals. Check Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) enrollment at in.gov/fssa. Marketplace coverage can be verified at healthcare.gov. FSSA does not collect banking information through text links.
Step 4: Report. Forward to 7726 (SPAM). Report health insurance fraud to the Indiana Department of Insurance at in.gov/idoi. File with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the Indiana Attorney General at in.gov/attorneygeneral.
Frequently Asked Questions
What area code is 317?
Area code 317 serves Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, along with portions of the Indianapolis metro area. It is one of Indiana's original 1947 area codes and shares Indianapolis coverage with overlay 463. The broader Indianapolis suburban ring also uses 317 and 463.
Is area code 317 used for scams?
317 is Indianapolis's legitimate area code. Documented scam patterns include Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indy 500 ticket and pit pass fraud, Indiana HIP/Medicaid enrollment phishing during open enrollment windows, and GenCon convention hotel and event package scams. Verify any unknown 317 text involving race tickets, health insurance enrollment, or convention bookings before responding.
How do Indy 500 ticket scammers acquire 317 numbers for the race window?
VoIP 317 numbers can be provisioned in minutes through providers like Google Voice, Twilio, or any of dozens of VoIP services at minimal cost. Organized fraud operations activate batches of 317 numbers in the weeks before the Indy 500, deploy texts targeting motorsport and travel communities, then abandon those numbers after race weekend. The geographic specificity of a 317 number makes the ticket offer appear local and credible. IMS's own limited official communication channels for resale add to the challenge: many fans are unaware that the official resale path exists at all, making off-platform offers feel like the normal secondary market.
Related Area Codes
- 463 — Indianapolis overlay (2015); identical coverage to 317 across Marion County and Indianapolis metro.
- 765 — Central and Eastern Indiana (Muncie, Anderson, Lafayette, Terre Haute). The code surrounding the Indianapolis metro.
- 219 — Northwest Indiana (Gary, Hammond, Merrillville). The Lake Michigan shoreline and Chicago-adjacent Indiana metro.
Carriers & Network Type for 317 Numbers
Network mix: Mixed — 317 numbers include mobile, landline, and VoIP lines.
Common Scam Patterns
FCC complaint data for 317 numbers includes:
- Robocall/Auto-dialer
- Spoofed caller ID
- IRS/Government impersonation
- Tech support scam
If You Got a Text from 317
Who Typically Calls from the 317 Area Code?
Area code 317 covers Indianapolis, Indiana, 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 Indianapolis and Carmel and operates in the Eastern time zone, supporting a broad range of modern telecommunications services. Calls from 317 numbers originate in Indianapolis, Indiana. Residents, local businesses, schools, medical offices, and government agencies in this region all use 317 numbers. If you received an unexpected call or text from a 317 number, it may be a neighbor, a local service provider, or — in some cases — an unwanted solicitor.
Because 317 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 317 number is genuinely local or spoofed.
Is a 317 Phone Number Spam?
Not all 317 calls are spam, but the area code is not immune to robocall campaigns and phone scams. Common complaints about 317 numbers include warranty extension scams, debt collection harassment, IRS impersonation calls, and unsolicited insurance offers.
If a 317 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 317 number directly from our lookup results, helping protect others in the community from the same caller.
Look Up a 317 Number Now
Enter any 317 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 Indiana
Indiana has multiple area codes serving different regions. If the number you received isn't from 317, check one of the other Indiana area codes below.
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