Telecom Paper reports that the sale of different area codes across US for VoIP numbers can be used by business located in a town nobody knows as a marketing tool. For example, the 310 area code of Beverly Hills, and 212 for Manhattan are very coveted because of the prestige they confer.

The problem is when shady offshore companies fake legitimacy with a US area code. Law enforcement agencies are not yet able to tap VoIP phone calls because of regulatory uncertainty and technological limitations. If the VoIP revolution lives up to expectations, it could spell the end of location-based phone number system as we know it.