604 Area Code — Vancouver BC (Canadian), British Columbia
About the 604 Area Code
Area code 604 serves Vancouver BC (Canadian), British Columbia, part of the North American Numbering Plan allocated to Canadian telecommunications. Primary carriers include Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, and Telus Mobility, all operating under CRTC regulatory oversight. The 604 numbering plan area covers Vancouver and Burnaby in the Pacific time zone.
Key Information
- Region: Vancouver BC (Canadian)
- State / Province: British Columbia
- Timezone: Pacific
- Major Cities: Vancouver, Burnaby
Area Code Overview
Area code 604 is Vancouver's original area code, established in 1947 under the North American Numbering Plan. It originally covered all of British Columbia, before being progressively split and overlaid: 250 split off in 1996 for the BC interior and Vancouver Island (outside the Lower Mainland), and overlay 778 was added in 2001 followed by 236 in 2013, all covering the same Lower Mainland geography as 604. The 604 area code today serves Metro Vancouver — the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Delta, Langley, and the broader Lower Mainland — approximately 2.5 million people.
Metro Vancouver's economy is heavily influenced by its position as Canada's Pacific Gateway: the Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest port by tonnage, handling enormous volumes of Asia-Pacific trade. The city's real estate market is among the most expensive in North America, driven in part by significant investment from mainland Chinese buyers. The region has Canada's second-largest Chinese-Canadian community after Toronto, a large South Asian community concentrated in Surrey and Delta, and a growing Korean-Canadian community. The University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU) generate large student populations with specific fraud vulnerability profiles.
Scam Patterns in 604
ICBC Insurance Claim and Accident Notification Fraud
ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia) is the province's mandatory public auto insurer — unlike other provinces, BC residents cannot choose a private insurer for basic coverage, which means virtually every driver in Metro Vancouver is an ICBC customer. Scam texts from 604 numbers impersonate ICBC's claims department, notifying recipients that a claim has been filed against their policy following an accident, that their coverage has lapsed due to a payment issue, or that a renewal requires online confirmation. Because ICBC genuinely sends account and renewal notifications by text to opted-in customers, fraudulent ICBC texts are particularly credible. ICBC does not collect payment or request account re-verification through text links.
BC Assessment Real Property Transfer and Tax Fraud
BC Assessment is the provincial agency responsible for assessing the market value of all properties in British Columbia for tax purposes. Metro Vancouver's stratospheric property values — detached homes in Vancouver regularly assessed above $2 million — mean that BC Assessment notices generate intense interest and are widely discussed by homeowners. Scam texts from 604 numbers impersonate BC Assessment, claiming a property value assessment has been appealed, that a supplementary property tax bill requires immediate payment, or that a property transfer tax exemption will expire without action. The texts target both homeowners concerned about assessment accuracy and real estate investors managing multiple properties.
Canada Border Services Agency Parcel and Customs Fraud
As Canada's Pacific Gateway, Metro Vancouver handles enormous volumes of international parcel traffic from Asia-Pacific trade routes. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) processes customs clearances for this volume, and legitimate CBSA notifications about held parcels do occur. Scam texts from 604 numbers impersonate CBSA, claiming a parcel arriving from Asia has been held for customs inspection and requires payment of duties or a release fee before it can be forwarded to the recipient. Given the high volume of legitimate international parcel traffic through Vancouver, and the prevalence of online purchases from Asian e-commerce platforms (Alibaba, Shein, Temu) among the region's large Chinese and South Asian communities, these texts are highly credible.
VoIP and Spoofing Risk Assessment
Risk Level: HIGH
604's status as Vancouver's original area code gives it institutional credibility for ICBC, BC Assessment, and CBSA impersonation — all agencies that residents expect to contact them by various means. The ICBC monopoly model creates the same targeting advantage as Hydro-Québec in Montréal: virtually every Metro Vancouver driver is an ICBC customer, meaning any text about an ICBC claim or renewal reaches someone for whom the message is plausible. The CBSA parcel fraud is specifically amplified by Vancouver's role as the entry point for Asian goods, making international parcel customs texts maximally credible to this region's residents.
What To Do If You Receive a Text From a 604 Number
Step 1: Verify any ICBC claim or account issue through the official ICBC app or website. Log in at icbc.com or call ICBC at 604-661-2800. ICBC does not request payment or account verification through unsolicited text links.
Step 2: Look up the number. Search at Who Sent That Text Message for prior reports, especially for ICBC claim notifications, BC Assessment payment demands, or CBSA customs clearance fees.
Step 3: Verify any parcel customs notification through official CBSA channels. Check at cbsa-asfc.gc.ca or contact Canada Post directly about any parcel in their system. CBSA does not demand payment through text links; customs duties on parcels are assessed at the border and communicated through the postal carrier.
Step 4: Report. Forward to 7726 (SPAM). Report ICBC and CBSA fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or 1-888-495-8501. Report to the RCMP's BC division at rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/bc or call local RCMP detachments.
Frequently Asked Questions
What area code is 604?
Area code 604 is Metro Vancouver's original area code (1947), serving the Lower Mainland of British Columbia including the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, and Delta. It shares coverage with overlays 778 and 236. The BC interior, Vancouver Island, and regions outside the Lower Mainland use 250.
Is area code 604 used for scams?
604 is a legitimate Metro Vancouver area code. Documented scam patterns include ICBC insurance claim and account fraud, BC Assessment property tax and transfer impersonation, and Canada Border Services Agency customs parcel fraud. These patterns exploit BC-specific provincial institutions and the region's role as Canada's Pacific trade hub. Verify any unknown 604 text involving ICBC, property assessment, or customs fees before responding.
Why is ICBC insurance fraud particularly effective in British Columbia?
ICBC is BC's mandatory public auto insurer — virtually every BC driver is an ICBC customer with no alternative insurer for basic coverage. This eliminates the primary challenge of insurance impersonation fraud: ensuring the target actually has a policy with the impersonated company. Any Metro Vancouver driver receiving an ICBC claim notification or renewal text has an active ICBC policy, making the message plausible. ICBC's regular use of text notifications for legitimate communications creates a normalized expectation that ICBC will contact customers by text.
Related Area Codes
- 778 — Metro Vancouver overlay (2001); identical coverage to 604 across the Lower Mainland, associated with mobile and newer VoIP assignments.
- 236 — BC-wide overlay (2013); covers both Lower Mainland and interior BC, with coverage overlap in the 604 geography.
- 250 — BC interior and Vancouver Island (non-Lower Mainland). The code for Victoria, Kelowna, Prince George, and all BC regions outside Metro Vancouver.
Carriers & Network Type for 604 Numbers
Network mix: Mixed — 604 numbers include mobile, landline, and VoIP lines.
Common Scam Patterns
FCC complaint data for 604 numbers includes:
- Robocall/Auto-dialer
- Extended warranty scam
- Health insurance offer
- IRS/Government impersonation
If You Got a Text from 604
Who Typically Calls from the 604 Area Code?
Area code 604 serves Vancouver BC (Canadian), British Columbia, part of the North American Numbering Plan allocated to Canadian telecommunications. Primary carriers include Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, and Telus Mobility, all operating under CRTC regulatory oversight. The 604 numbering plan area covers Vancouver and Burnaby in the Pacific time zone. Calls from 604 numbers originate in Vancouver BC (Canadian), British Columbia. Residents, local businesses, schools, medical offices, and government agencies in this region all use 604 numbers. If you received an unexpected call or text from a 604 number, it may be a neighbor, a local service provider, or — in some cases — an unwanted solicitor.
Because 604 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 604 number is genuinely local or spoofed.
Is a 604 Phone Number Spam?
Not all 604 calls are spam, but the area code is not immune to robocall campaigns and phone scams. Common complaints about 604 numbers include warranty extension scams, debt collection harassment, IRS impersonation calls, and unsolicited insurance offers.
If a 604 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 604 number directly from our lookup results, helping protect others in the community from the same caller.
Look Up a 604 Number Now
Enter any 604 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 British Columbia
British Columbia has multiple area codes serving different regions. If the number you received isn't from 604, check one of the other British Columbia area codes below.