What is the 848 Area Code? Time Zone and Location
- Area code 848 is located in New Jersey and covers Toms River, New Brunswick, Lakewood, and Perth Amboy — it is an overlay for area code 732 and serves the same area.
- Combined with overlay 732, it covers 53 cities across 6 counties in central New Jersey, serving a population of 3,928,440.
- Major cities covered include Toms River, New Brunswick, Lakewood, Perth Amboy, Asbury Park, Long Branch, Red Bank, Freehold, Woodbridge, Carteret, Sayreville, Metuchen, Bound Brook, Rahway, Middletown, Keansburg, Point Pleasant, and Seaside Park.
- The 848 area code operates in the Eastern Time Zone — following Eastern Standard Time (EST) at UTC−5 during standard time and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) at UTC−4 during daylight saving time.
- Area code 848 was put into service on December 29, 2001, and was the 309th area code in service — one of 26 area codes introduced in 2001 — created to relieve the pressure on the 732 area code as numbers in 732 were being exhausted.
- 10-digit dialing is mandatory for all local calls within the 732/848 overlay complex.
Quick Facts
| Area Code | 848 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State / Region | New Jersey (central New Jersey and the Jersey Shore) |
| Area Code Type | Overlay area code (shares region with area code 732) |
| Overlay Codes | 732 |
| Major Cities Covered | Toms River, New Brunswick, Lakewood, Perth Amboy, Asbury Park, Long Branch, Red Bank, Freehold, Woodbridge, Carteret, Sayreville, Metuchen, Bound Brook, Rahway, Middletown, Keansburg, Point Pleasant, Seaside Park, Colonia, South Amboy |
| Primary City Association | Toms River, New Jersey |
| Geographic Coverage | 53 cities across 6 counties in central New Jersey, including Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Essex, and Union counties |
| Time Zone | Eastern Time Zone (ET) |
| Standard Time Offset | UTC −5 hours |
| Daylight Saving Time | UTC −4 hours (EDT) |
| DST Period (2026 Example) | March → November |
| Introduced / Activation Date | December 29, 2001 |
| Reason for Creation | Created as an overlay to the 732 area code in 2001, as central New Jersey's growing population — particularly in Ocean and Middlesex counties — exhausted available numbers in the 732 |
| Dialing Requirement | 10-digit dialing mandatory (due to 732/848 overlay complex) |
| Coverage Nature | Overlay complex — 848 and 732 share the same central New Jersey geography |
| Population Coverage | Combined with overlay 732, serves a population of 3,928,440 across central New Jersey |
| Nearby / Related Area Codes | 201/551 (Jersey City), 609/640 (Trenton), 732 (848's parent overlay), 856 (Camden), 862/973 (Newark), 908 (Elizabeth) |
| Telecom System | North American Numbering Plan (NANP) |
| Example Phone Format | (848) XXX-XXXX |
| Usage Type | Mobile, landline, VoIP numbers |
| Business Use | Valuable for local presence across central New Jersey's pharmaceutical corridor, university towns, and the Jersey Shore's booming tourism and real estate market |
| Number Availability | Currently uses 227 telephone prefixes assigned across the 848 region — with lower prefix utilization than parent code 732, ensuring solid number availability |
| Area Code Status | Active and widely used |
| Economic Profile | Middlesex County alone generated approximately $86.7 billion in GDP in 2024, contributing significantly to New Jersey's $846 billion total state output — driven by pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, education, and professional services |
| Notable Geography | The 848 corridor is home to Rutgers University — New Jersey's flagship state university — alongside a world-class pharmaceutical and biotech cluster, and direct access to New Jersey's famed Jersey Shore coastal communities |
Is the 848 Area Code a Scam?
| Spam Ranking | Ranked #272 for spam complaints nationally, accounting for approximately 0.12% of all spam complaints |
|---|---|
| Spam Growth | Spam calls in New Jersey increased by 182.97% over the past year — one of the sharpest statewide increases in the Northeast — with the highest volume recorded in August 2025, accounting for 15.32% of all calls |
| Most Common Complaint Type | Live voice complaints make up 58.14% of total reports — the dominant complaint type by a wide margin — reflecting the heavy use of live operators in 848-area scams |
| Top Scam Categories | Auto warranty calls make up 8.53% of complaints — the single largest category — followed by solar panels (6.98%), Google Listings (3.1%), mortgage loans (3.1%), and health insurance (3.1%) |
| Top Reported Cities for Complaints | Toms River, NJ dominates with 15.02% of complaints — nearly three times any other city — followed by Rahway, NJ (1.89%), Carlstadt, NJ (1.64%), and Fords, NJ (0.91%) |
| Peak Complaint Period | August 2025 saw the highest volume of complaints for area code 848, with February 2026 showing a 33.3% decrease compared to January 2026 |
| Common Labels | Robocaller, fake home warranty caller, PSN gaming phisher, fake police charity, Amazon job scammer, chronic pain Medicare fraudster |
| Spoofing Risk | Scammers frequently spoof New Jersey (Toms River, New Brunswick, Lakewood) phone numbers to trick recipients into answering, presenting as familiar local central New Jersey calls to lower victims' defenses |
| Typical Strategy | Neighbor spoofing — appearing as a familiar Toms River, Woodbridge, or Red Bank number to build trust before making fraudulent requests |
| Signature Scam — PlayStation Network (PSN) Gaming Phish | Scammers send friend requests to New Jersey gamers on PlayStation Network using bot accounts with female-sounding usernames like "lina_kbo," "ddani_x1," or "leighh_5" — profiles with no games, trophies, or personal information — and the message asks you to text them at an 848 number because they are "signing off" or "bored," then uses your phone number to sign you up for premium text message services that charge your phone bill |
| Signature Scam — Choice Home Warranty Harassment | Callers identifying themselves as being from "Choice Home Warranty" call 848 numbers about renewing or purchasing a policy — calling repeatedly, sometimes several times an hour from similar numbers, using callers who are pushy and may already know your name, and claiming you requested information on their website even if you never did — continuing to call from different numbers even after you request to be put on a do-not-call list |
| Signature Scam — Fake Police Trooper PAC Charity | Scammers call New Jersey residents pretending to collect money for police officers or a "Police Trooper PAC" — using a friendly approach, offering to send an envelope so you can donate, making the request seem legitimate and local — without naming a specific, verifiable organization |
| Signature Scam — Amazon Work-From-Home Job Scam | Scammers contact residents in the 848 area code about a work-from-home job opportunity at Amazon, claiming individuals can work from their computer and earn $500 in just a couple of hours, directing victims to fake sites like amzjobs.org rather than Amazon's official job site, collecting personal and banking information for identity theft |
| Signature Scam — Chronic Pain Medicare Fraud | Consumers receive spoofed robocalls claiming to have remedies for chronic pain and telling individuals they have been approved through Medicare and Medicaid — requesting victims share personal information and Medicare numbers, using this to steal identity or gain access to funds, rather than providing any medical assistance |
| Key Risk Indicator | PSN friend requests from unknown accounts asking you to text an 848 number, relentless home warranty calls that know your name, police charity solicitations without a verifiable organization name, Amazon job offers directing you to unofficial websites, or Medicare chronic pain remedy calls requesting personal information |
| Safety Tip | Real police departments and state trooper associations do not cold-call residents for donations — if you wish to support law enforcement, contact your local police department directly using the official phone number listed. Amazon's official job site is Amazon Jobs (amazon.jobs) — any other site claiming Amazon employment is a scam |
What Are the Business Benefits of the 848 Area Code?
| Local Presence | Helps businesses appear local across central New Jersey's pharmaceutical corridor, university communities, and the beloved Jersey Shore — a region combining world-class research infrastructure with one of the East Coast's most popular leisure destinations |
|---|---|
| Customer Trust Factor | A local Toms River, New Brunswick, or Red Bank 848 number dramatically increases answer rates vs. unknown out-of-state numbers in a densely populated New Jersey market |
| Coverage Advantage | One number covers 53 cities across 6 counties in central New Jersey, spanning from the Raritan Bay waterfront through Middlesex County's pharmaceutical belt to Ocean County's Jersey Shore communities |
| Pharmaceutical Corridor Access | Middlesex County — with its $86.7 billion GDP — is one of the most significant pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing counties in the United States, making an 848 number essential for any business serving this industry cluster |
| VoIP Compatibility | Easily available for SaaS platforms, call centers, and remote teams serving the central New Jersey market |
| Scalability | Large number pool available across the 732/848 overlay complex, with 848's lower prefix utilization ensuring strong availability for the foreseeable future |
| Jersey Shore Tourism Advantage | The Jersey Shore communities of Asbury Park, Long Branch, Red Bank, Point Pleasant, and Seaside Park attract millions of visitors annually — a local 848 number is essential for hotels, restaurants, tour operators, and seasonal businesses serving this booming coastal economy |
| Marketing Use | Ideal for local SEO, digital ads, and customer outreach across Toms River, New Brunswick, Lakewood, Perth Amboy, Asbury Park, Long Branch, Red Bank, Freehold, Woodbridge, and surrounding communities |
| Startup Friendly | Cost-effective for biotech, pharmaceutical, and healthcare startups, given the region's extraordinary concentration of pharmaceutical manufacturing and Rutgers University's research ecosystem |
| Call Routing Flexibility | Can route calls globally while appearing local to central New Jersey customers — particularly valuable for pharmaceutical and biotech companies managing East Coast operations |
| Top Industries | Pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing, healthcare, education (Rutgers University, Monmouth University), retail, hospitality and tourism (Jersey Shore), real estate, logistics, and financial services benefit most from a local 848 presence |
| Use Case Examples | AI receptionist, pharmaceutical and biotech support lines, Rutgers-affiliated research services, healthcare practices, Jersey Shore hotel and resort booking lines, real estate agencies, restaurant and hospitality businesses, manufacturing supplier support, and local retail and professional services |
