Spam Risk

What is this and why are my numbers being marked as "Spam"?

Your customers might see calls from your number(s) displayed as “SPAM LIKELY”or "SPAM RISK" or "SCAM LIKELY" on their caller ID. Each phone carrier keeps a list of numbers they determine to be spam risks based on the history of the number. Unfortunately, there is no central database or service so far that manages this number designation. 

WHAT CAUSES THE SCAM/SPAM DESIGNATION?

In short, here are the most obvious reasons for designation:

  1. Volume of Outbound Calls Per Day Per Number
  2. Someone Flagged a call from your number in that carrier's app as spam 
  3. Outbound Caller ID number is not set properly from your system and incomplete will probably be flagged as spam automatically
What's the back story?

In response to the growing number of scam calls to mobile phones, many carriers and third parties have created tools to identify and block scam calls. Unfortunately, these tools aren’t perfect. Businesses may have their numbers incorrectly marked by scam ID technology, particularly when calling cell numbers.

Each carrier a feature or app, which is automatically enabled on mobile devices. When someone calls one of these devices, the carrier checks the number against its database of reported scam numbers. If the source matches a reported scam number, the person being called sees a message that says “Scam Likely” alongside standard caller ID. The user can then decide whether or not to answer the call.

In addition to Scam ID, Carriers also allow customers to opt in to a Scam Block feature that prevents all Scam Likely calls from reaching the user’s phone. All carriers now have introduced their own paid and free versions of this service. Third party apps also allow smartphone users to detect, report and block scam calls.

The Scam Likely Caller ID features will sometimes mark legitimate calls incorrectly. Some people may report your number without answering the phone. If this happens enough, your number will be marked Scam Likely.

Carriers are also deploying algorithms in their networks to detect a large number of phone calls originating from a common Caller ID number. They designate these calls as SPAM and display a “SPAM” message on the Display of the receiving phone.

What’s the fastest way to resolve this?

The quickest solution is to acquire a new inbound number and use it in place of the number that is getting the SPAM/SCAM reports. But note, when you acquire a number it may come with a history that also causes it to experience the same issue, so always test some calls to verify the number is being treated well by the Carriers.

Get your numbers registered at Free Caller Registry - https://www.freecallerregistry.com/fcr/ and https://www.calltransparency.com/ - This helps register/white-list your numbers with the major carriers and reduces the chances of them being flagged. All numbers and information provided will be shared with all three Carrier Spam Monitoring Partners - HIYA, TNSI and First Orion. If you only do ONE thing on this list, do this. Getting your numbers registered has shown to be highly effective in protecting them from being flagged for many of the reasons listed above. 

How to request your number be removed from SPAM / SCAM Designations

You can use the links or email addresses below to register legitimate numbers and also address any incorrect labeling or call blocking with other carriers:

AT&T:

https://hiyahelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=824667

Sprint, Verizon, U.S. Cellular:

https://reportarobocall.com

Comcast, Charter, Cox, Altice and other fixed line (VoIP) providers, email Nomorobo for call blocking services:

reports@nomorobo.com

Popular Spam Block Apps:

In addition, here are some of the most popular spam blocking apps and contact info if you wish to reach out about being unflagged with their apps.

  • Robokiller: Most popular call blocking app, millions of people have this application. Once you are blocked by them, every single user with the app will automatically have your number blocked.
  • Nomorobo: No Scoring/Rating System. Very Popular Call Blocking App. Winner of FTC Robocall Challenge
  • Icehook: Will be marked as spam if it falls into "highly_likely" / 81-100 Risk Level Range
  • TrueSpam: Uses 0 - 100 Scale, Flags occur @ 60 & above score
  • Telo: Nuisance Score Flagged at 65 & above. We flag at a score of 65 to notify you before it becomes a nuisance type call at the threshold of 70.
A 3rd Party Service that may help

Register your numbers with https://calltransparency.com/

Look into Caller ID Reputation Services like https://calleridreputation.com/