Every cell phone owner is grateful for the “POTENTIAL SPAM” flag on unwanted incoming calls. There’s far too much spam in the world — the label makes it easier to weed out calls from bad actors.
But for business owners, having your number flagged as spam can be really frustrating. Whether you’ve witnessed it yourself or your customers have informed you about a spam label, it’s a major concern. People likely won’t answer when they see “Scam Likely” or “Spam Risk” appear next to an incoming call, making it harder for you to reach them.
You can take steps if your number has been flagged as “scam likely,” and we’ll explain why it happens and how to fix it. (And if it hasn’t happened to you yet, file this information away just in case it does in the future!)
How a number gets flagged as spam
At the highest level, each carrier has an ‘analytics engine’ which has a proprietary algorithm, that is constantly evolving, to detect if a call should be marked as spam or not. These algorithms and databases aren’t transparent, partly to prevent actual spammers from gaming the system. They are also continuously updated as scammers find loopholes.
STIR/SHAKEN, a caller identification framework, was added onto this in 2021 under requirements from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The goal was to protect US citizens against unwanted calls (mostly robocalls), which were a top consumer complaint.
Under the STIR/SHAKEN framework, cell carriers (such as Verizon and T-Mobile) are required to flag calls when the caller ID doesn’t match the caller’s real number. Sometimes, the call might be blocked altogether. In other cases, the call may be flagged as “Possible Scam,” “Spam Likely,” or “Possible Robocall.”
There are a few reasons this can happen (even when you are a legitimate business):
1) Spam history with the phone number
The previous owner of your phone number may have had a history of spam with the carrier. If that’s the case, you can try some of the solutions in this article to remove the mistaken spam label.
2) Phone number spoofing
Bad actors may be using your number for spam or robocalls, making it appear that the calls are from your virtual number, even though they aren’t. This is unlikely but possible.
3) Call behavior
Carriers use advanced algorithms to analyze phone calling patterns against databases that contain known spam numbers, scam operations, and telemarketers. Certain calling patterns can get flagged as spam. If a caller makes a large number of short calls (a few seconds long) or has a large spike in volume (such as 100 calls within an hour from a single phone number), the number can get flagged as spam.
Other red flags for carriers include recipients manually marking calls as spam or if a high number of calls go straight to voicemail. Finally, numbers can get flagged as spam if the caller dials the same number multiple times consecutively or calls too many times on the same day.
How to avoid spam labels and reach customers effectively
Even though call carriers created spam filters with good intentions, they can impact lawful businesses. Spam detection and the criteria carriers use aren’t 100% accurate.
Inaccurate spam/scam labeling affects the entire phone industry and isn’t limited to a single provider (including OpenPhone). Combating incorrect spam labels is an ongoing challenge as carriers continue to intensify their efforts to block spam calls.
Even more frustrating: there’s no one-time quick fix. There are only things you can do to lower the chances your business phone number gets marked as spam.
We’ve got a checklist of a few things you can do:
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- Register your phone number with the Free Call Registry
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- Register your phone number with STIR/SHAKEN
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- Register your phone number with major carriers
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- Configure your caller ID name (CNAM)
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- Stay compliant
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- Be consistent with your calling behavior
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- Reach out to spam-blocking services
Register your phone number with the Free Caller Registry
The Free Caller Registry allows business owners to inform carriers that a phone number has a new owner. This can solve the problem of a previous owner’s bad reputation if the previous owner was engaging in spam-like behavior.
When you get a US phone number, you can register your number on the Free Caller Registry’s website. Your phone provider can’t do this on your behalf.
When you register, you need to fill out two sections:
- Calling Company: This is your business information, including the numbers you’re calling from, the company name, and the company address. You’ll also select a type of call, such as “Financial Services” or “Informational.” If your calls don’t fit into any of the categories, select “Other.”
- Service Provider: Add your business phone provider (if you’re an OpenPhone customer, for example, this would be OpenPhone).
You can also add the number of calls you make per month and identify if you’ve experienced specific instances of your phone numbers being labeled incorrectly.
Register your phone number with STIR/SHAKEN
Registering your phone number with STIR/SHAKEN will not remove a spam/scam label, but it may increase answer rates from your customers.
The registration process varies by business phone provider. If you’re an OpenPhone customer, all you have to do is complete the Low Volume Standard US carrier registration form. OpenPhone will then automatically register you with STIR/SHAKEN. We’ll also automatically apply your verified business profile to all numbers associated with your OpenPhone account.
💡Any business owner will need an EIN to complete US carrier registration through the Low Volume Standard path.
Note: The US carrier registration form also helps you comply with emerging A2P 10DLC guidelines for texting. You need to follow these guidelines if you’re calling from local phone numbers. The process is different for toll-free numbers. For more details, check out our step-by-step A2P 10DLC registration guide.
Register your phone number with major carriers
If you’ve registered your number with the Free Caller Registry and STIR/SHAKEN and carriers are still mistakenly flagging your calls as spam, you can take some additional steps. Registering directly with carriers can increase your number’s reputation and ensure that carrier records are up-to-date.
Here’s how you can register with each:
- T-Mobile: Fill out the First Orion form or contact FCRsupport@firstorion.com
- Verizon: Fill out this form or directly contact vz.tpd.consumer.callfilter.support@verizon.com
- AT&T: Fill out the Hiya form or directly contact freecallerregistry@hiya.com
Configure caller ID (CNAM)
CNAM is the Caller ID Name and displays the caller’s name on the recipient’s phone, which can even be a business caller ID. CNAM was originally intended for landline numbers and rarely works with mobile devices. When it does work, it’s often outdated, which leads to incorrect caller ID displays.
In the US, T-Mobile is the only carrier that provides CNAM lookup at no extra cost. T-Mobile customers can view caller IDs for incoming calls. For all other carriers, this feature comes with an additional fee.
Configuring your CNAM will not remove a spam label, but it may increase your answer rates since people are more likely to answer if they can identify the caller. Since a high volume of calls going to voicemail is a signal to phone carriers that a number might be spam, this can help your number’s overall reputation.
Note: OpenPhone customers can complete self-service CNAM registration in their workspace. A2P Low Volume Standard registration and approval is a prerequisite to CNAM registration.
Stay compliant
Registered numbers can still be flagged if consumers report your calls as spam to the FCC or in a fraud report.
Comply with all relevant laws, regulations, and policies — including your phone provider’s Terms of Service. All callers must stay compliant, whether they’re VoIP callers, using WiFi calling, or calling from a traditional landline.
Here are a few things you should do:
- Follow the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which requires you to adhere to all “Do Not Call” lists and TCPA opt-in/opt-out requirements for business texts.
- Clearly identify your business when calling and give call recipients simple instructions for opting out of future calls.
- Create dedicated phone numbers for specific call functions, such as customer support or surveys, especially if you run outbound call campaigns.
Be consistent with your calling behavior
If there’s a sudden spike in your outbound call patterns, your phone number can be flagged as spam — even if it’s registered.
Even though we don’t know the specifics of carrier algorithms that identify spam, some calling patterns can raise red flags. The more consistent you are, the less likely this will happen to you.
Here are some effective strategies:
- Maintain a regular outbound call volume with no unusual spikes. If you plan to ramp up your call volume, do it gradually instead of hitting your full target call volume at the start of a new campaign.
- Update your calling lists regularly and remove numbers that don’t connect. Low call answer and completion rates are associated with spam, so you want to avoid dialing random or sunset numbers.
- Prioritize calls to customers with whom you have an established business relationship rather than making broad, unsolicited outbound calls. Customers who expect your calls are more likely to answer.
- Use distinct phone numbers for functions like marketing, surveys, and customer support callbacks. Distinct phone numbers help you manage customer expectations. You don’t want receivers to be confused or suspicious when they answer.
- Make calls during standard business hours to align with expected communication norms. Calling outside of business hours won’t make the best first impression.
Reach out to spam-blocking services
If you’ve done everything above and you’re still having issues with your calls being flagged as spam, you can try contacting spam-blocking apps. These apps may be installed directly on customers’ phones to block unwanted calls.
Here are some common spam-blocking apps and their contact information:
- Robokiller: Email support@robokiller.com
- Nomorobo: Email reports@nomorobo.com
- IceHook: Contact at https://www.icehook.com/contact
- TrueSpam: Contact Info at https://www.truecnam.com/contact_us
As a last resort, you can use a service like Caller ID Reputation. These third-party services can check if your number is showing up as spam for different carriers and spam-blocking apps. Then, they remediate the spam labels on your behalf.
Give customers a better experience with OpenPhone
Your small business should do everything it can to maintain a professional phone reputation. This creates a better experience for your customers and reduces the risk of your phone number getting flagged as spam.
Within OpenPhone, you can complete your US carrier registration. OpenPhone also helps you maintain a professional presence through voicemail greetings and auto-replies to missed calls, texts, and voicemails. You can set up conditional call forwarding to redirect unanswered calls to another person and share a business phone number with your team.
OpenPhone also gives you clarity around your call activity. You can see if customers abandoned a call or if call avoidance is occurring. If needed, you can quickly review calls with AI-generated transcripts and summaries.
See if OpenPhone is the right fit for your team with a free seven-day trial.
If you’re already an OpenPhone customer and have additional questions about registering your number, you can submit a support request here.