813 Area Code — Tampa, Florida

Reviewed by Jordan Lee, Digital Safety Researcher — Last updated January 2026

About the 813 Area Code

Key Information

Region: Tampa
State / Province: Florida
Timezone: Eastern
Major Cities: Tampa, Brandon

Area Code Overview

Area code 813 was created in 1953 as a split from 305, serving the Tampa Bay metro area — Hillsborough County, including the City of Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, and Temple Terrace. Adjacent Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Clearwater) uses 727; Polk County uses 863. Together, the Tampa Bay area forms Florida's third-largest metro with approximately 3.2 million people, and one of the fastest-growing large metros in the United States.

Tampa's economy is diversified across finance (Raymond James Financial, Synovus, multiple fintech firms), healthcare (Tampa General Hospital, AdventHealth, BayCare), defense (MacDill Air Force Base, home of US Central Command and Special Operations Command), and tourism. The Port of Tampa Bay is Florida's largest port and the busiest in the southeastern United States. Ybor City, Tampa's historic Latin Quarter, reflects the city's Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigration heritage. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lightning, and Rays give the metro a strong sports culture, anchored by the Buccaneers' back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in 2020 and 2021.

Scam Patterns in 813

Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lightning Playoff Ticket Fraud
Tampa Bay's sports identity crystallized dramatically with the Lightning's consecutive Stanley Cup championships (2020, 2021) and the Buccaneers' Super Bowl LV win in February 2021 — all during the pandemic era that generated intense pent-up demand for live sports. Raymond James Stadium playoff tickets and Amalie Arena playoff packages are in extreme demand during postseason runs. Scam texts from 813 numbers offer Bucs divisional playoff seats, Lightning Eastern Conference Finals packages, or combined "Championship Season Pass" bundles — requiring immediate Venmo or Zelle payment. A specific variant targets Buccaneers season ticket holder waitlist members, claiming a waitlist activation that requires a deposit to secure placement.

Port of Tampa Cruise Port Package and Customs Fee Fraud
The Port of Tampa Bay is one of Florida's largest cruise embarkation ports, serving Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and others. Cruise passengers preparing for departures from Tampa receive legitimate pre-cruise communications from cruise lines via text, including last-minute luggage drop-off, parking confirmations, and terminal check-in notifications. Scam texts from 813 numbers impersonate the port authority or cruise lines, claiming a customs clearance fee is due, a cabin upgrade is available at a discount, or a parking reservation requires reconfirmation through a link. These texts specifically target passengers in the days before a cruise departure when urgency is highest.

Hurricane Disaster Relief and FEMA Contractor Fraud
Tampa Bay sits directly in Florida's hurricane threat corridor, and major storm events trigger FEMA Individual Assistance programs and contractor solicitations. Following storms, scam texts from 813 numbers impersonate roofing contractors, water damage mitigation companies, or insurance adjusters, offering emergency assessments or claiming a neighbor's claim has already been approved and the recipient qualifies for the same program. A specific variant impersonates FEMA directly, claiming additional Individual Assistance is available but requires a banking update to process. Florida law specifically addresses post-disaster contractor fraud, and the Hillsborough County Emergency Management office issues regular warnings following major weather events.

VoIP and Spoofing Risk Assessment

Risk Level: MODERATE

813 maintains a substantial legacy business and landline base from Tampa's established financial services, military, and healthcare sectors. The cruise port fraud is specifically seasonal — peaking in Florida's high-travel winter months when Tampa's cruise terminal is at maximum activity — and exploits the routine legitimate pre-cruise text communications that passengers expect. Hurricane disaster contractor fraud activates in concentrated windows after major storm events, when homeowners are genuinely seeking repair contractors and the volume of legitimate solicitations provides cover for fraudulent ones.

What To Do If You Receive a Text From an 813 Number

Step 1: Buy Buccaneers and Lightning tickets through official team channels only. Use the NFL Ticket Exchange for Buccaneers; the Lightning use Ticketmaster. Any private sale via Venmo or Zelle for playoff tickets from an unknown 813 number carries no buyer protection.

Step 2: Look up the number. Search at Who Sent That Text Message for prior reports, especially for Buccaneers or Lightning ticket offers, cruise port fee alerts, or hurricane contractor solicitations.

Step 3: Verify post-storm contractor credentials before allowing any work. Florida requires contractors to be licensed with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) at myfloridalicense.com. Do not allow roofing or damage assessment work based solely on a text solicitation; ask for a state license number and verify it independently.

Step 4: Report. Forward to 7726 (SPAM). Report post-storm contractor fraud to the Florida AG at myfloridalegal.com. Report FEMA impersonation to the FEMA Fraud Hotline at 1-800-621-3362. File with the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

What area code is 813?

Area code 813 serves Tampa and Hillsborough County, Florida, including Brandon, Riverview, and Plant City. It was created in 1953 and serves the east side of Tampa Bay. Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Clearwater) uses 727; the broader Tampa Bay metro spans both codes.

Is area code 813 used for scams?

813 is Tampa's legitimate area code. Documented scam patterns include Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Lightning playoff ticket fraud, Port of Tampa cruise port fee impersonation targeting passengers before departure, and post-hurricane disaster relief and contractor fraud. Verify any unknown 813 text involving sports tickets, cruise port fees, or storm damage contractors before responding.

Why are cruise port departure texts particularly effective as a fraud vector in Tampa?

Cruise passengers receive numerous legitimate pre-departure texts from cruise lines, port authorities, and parking vendors in the days before sailing. This high volume of real communications creates a context where recipients expect texts about logistics, fees, and confirmations. A fraudulent text about a customs fee or cabin upgrade arrives when passengers are managing last-minute details and more likely to act quickly than to verify carefully. Tampa's position as a major cruise embarkation port makes 813 texts maximally plausible to anyone booked on a Tampa cruise.

Related Area Codes

727 — Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Clearwater). The western side of Tampa Bay, covering the peninsula across the bay from Tampa.
863 — Polk County (Lakeland, Winter Haven). Inland Florida between Tampa and Orlando.
407 — Orlando metro. The nearest major Florida metro to Tampa's east, connected by I-4.

Carriers & Network Type for 813 Numbers

AT&T Mobility Verizon Wireless T-Mobile USA US Cellular

Network mix: Mixed — 813 numbers include mobile, landline, and VoIP lines.

Common Scam Patterns

FCC complaint data for 813 numbers includes:

Robocall/Auto-dialer
Medicare/health insurance scam
IRS/Government impersonation
Extended warranty scam

If You Got a Text from 813

Don't engage with texts about prizes, sweepstakes, insurance offers, or Medicare — these are the most common scam types in this region.

Verify the sender: look up the number to check if it's flagged as a known scam or telemarketing source.

File a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint and forward the text to 7726 (SPAM).

Look Up This 813 Number →

Who Typically Calls from the 813 Area Code?

Area code 813 covers Tampa, Florida, 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 Tampa and Brandon and operates in the Eastern time zone, supporting a broad range of modern telecommunications services. Calls from 813 numbers originate in Tampa, Florida. Residents, local businesses, schools, medical offices, and government agencies in this region all use 813 numbers. If you received an unexpected call or text from a 813 number, it may be a neighbor, a local service provider, or — in some cases — an unwanted solicitor.

Because 813 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 813 number is genuinely local or spoofed.

Is a 813 Phone Number Spam?

Not all 813 calls are spam, but the area code is not immune to robocall campaigns and phone scams. Common complaints about 813 numbers include warranty extension scams, debt collection harassment, IRS impersonation calls, and unsolicited insurance offers.

If a 813 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 813 number directly from our lookup results, helping protect others in the community from the same caller.

Look Up a 813 Number Now

Enter any 813 area code phone number below and get instant results — carrier, line type, caller name (where available), and spam reports submitted by real users.

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Other Area Codes in Florida

Florida has multiple area codes serving different regions. If the number you received isn't from 813, check one of the other Florida area codes below.