626 Area Code — Pasadena, California

Area Code Overview

Area code 626 was established in 1998 as a split from the 818 code, serving the San Gabriel Valley — the eastern portion of Los Angeles County stretching from Pasadena through Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, Temple City, Arcadia, and El Monte. The region is home to one of the largest and most established Chinese-American communities in the United States, with Monterey Park often cited as the first majority Chinese-American city in the continental US. Mandarin, Cantonese, and Taiwanese Hokkien are widely spoken alongside English throughout the valley.

Economically, the San Gabriel Valley is diverse: Pasadena anchors the western end with Caltech, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Huntington Hospital, while the mid-valley cities support a dense ecosystem of Chinese-owned restaurants, retail businesses, and professional services firms. Arcadia has emerged as a significant destination for luxury real estate, drawing substantial investment from overseas buyers. This combination — a large immigrant community with cross-Pacific financial ties, a robust small business economy, and an active high-end real estate market — creates distinct fraud vulnerabilities that are specifically targeted in 626 territory.

Scam Patterns in 626

Chinese Consulate and China UnionPay Impersonation
The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles (which serves the western United States) is routinely impersonated in text and phone scams targeting Chinese-American and Chinese-national residents of the San Gabriel Valley. Messages arrive in Mandarin or simplified Chinese characters claiming the recipient has a legal matter requiring urgent resolution — an expired visa, a customs hold on a package, or an outstanding fine with Chinese authorities — and that failure to act immediately will result in arrest or deportation proceedings. A related variant impersonates China UnionPay, the dominant Chinese bank card network, sending account verification texts that link to credential-harvesting portals. These scams are effective because many SGV residents maintain active legal, financial, and family ties to mainland China, making official-sounding communications from Chinese government or financial institutions feel credible and urgent. The Chinese Consulate does not initiate contact via text; China UnionPay does not send unsolicited account alerts in this format.

SGV Restaurant and Small Business Loan Fraud
The San Gabriel Valley has one of the densest concentrations of independent Chinese restaurants and small businesses in California. Scam texts target business owners — often in Mandarin — claiming to offer SBA emergency loans, state small business grants, or private restaurant recovery funds requiring only a small "application processing fee" or bank account information for direct deposit. The fraud exploits real loan programs (genuine SBA and California small business assistance programs exist) by mimicking their terminology and urgency. Business owners who experienced revenue losses during and after the pandemic have been particularly targeted. Legitimate SBA loan applications are conducted through SBA-approved lenders and never require upfront fees via text link.

Pasadena and Arcadia Luxury Real Estate Wire Fraud and Listing Deposit Scams
Arcadia and parts of Pasadena have become high-demand real estate markets, with properties frequently transacting above $2 million, often to buyers with international connections. Scam texts target both buyers and sellers: buyers receive messages from apparent real estate agents or title companies directing them to wire earnest money deposits or down payments to accounts that have been compromised or fabricated. Sellers receive texts offering immediate cash purchases with a "good-faith deposit" requested upfront. The fraud exploits the SGV's active luxury market and the common practice of international wire transfers in high-end transactions. Real estate wire fraud in California is also reported through the California Department of Real Estate; any wire instruction received via text — even appearing to come from your agent — should be verified by calling a known phone number before funds are moved.

VoIP and Spoofing Risk Assessment

Risk Level: MOD

626 contains a healthy mix of established landline, mobile, and business VoIP numbers. The code is not dominated by VoIP in the way that a newer overlay code would be. The moderate risk designation reflects the well-documented targeting of the Chinese-American community by sophisticated cross-border fraud operations, which regularly spoof 626 numbers to appear as local calls to SGV residents. The Consulate and UnionPay scams in particular are coordinated operations with international infrastructure, not opportunistic local fraud.

What To Do If You Receive a Text From a 626 Number

1. If a text arrives in Chinese claiming to be from the Consulate, a bank, or a government agency, do not respond or click any link. Contact the institution directly using contact information from their official website.
2. Look up the number at Who Sent That Text Message to check for prior reports and to identify whether the number is a VoIP line before responding.
3. For any real estate wire instruction received via text or email, call your escrow officer or real estate agent at a phone number you established at the start of the transaction — never a number provided in the message. See our guide on identifying spoofed text messages.
4. Report the text by forwarding to 7726 (SPAM). File with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Consulate impersonation can also be reported to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

What area code is 626?
Area code 626 covers the San Gabriel Valley in eastern Los Angeles County, including Pasadena, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Rosemead, Arcadia, Temple City, and El Monte. It was created in 1998 as a split from the 818 area code.

Why am I getting Chinese-language texts from 626 numbers?
The San Gabriel Valley has one of the largest Chinese-American populations in the United States, so legitimate Chinese-language business communications do originate from 626 numbers. However, 626 numbers are also spoofed in targeted scams impersonating the Chinese Consulate and Chinese financial institutions. A Chinese-language text from an unknown 626 number requesting personal information or payment should be treated as suspicious and verified through official channels.

Is 626 the same as the 818 area code?
No. 626 and 818 are distinct area codes that serve different parts of the greater Los Angeles area. 818 covers the San Fernando Valley (Burbank, Glendale, Van Nuys, North Hollywood), while 626 covers the San Gabriel Valley to the east (Pasadena, Arcadia, Monterey Park). They share a border but serve different communities.

Related Area Codes

• 213 — Los Angeles core (downtown LA, central city). The original LA area code, serving the urban center west of the SGV.
• 323 — East Los Angeles and Mid-City (Hollywood, East LA, Koreatown). Borders 626 territory to the west.
• 562 — Long Beach and southeastern LA County. Covers the southern LA County communities adjacent to the SGV.