Why Does My Number Show up as Scam Likely & How to Stop it

Why does my number show up as ‘scam likely’? If you’ve ever wondered why certain carriers flagged your phone number as ‘scam likely,’ you’re not alone. This article will explore this frustrating issue that can harm personal and business communication and examine the key reasons behind this labeling. 

We shall see how spam filters, carrier algorithms, and user reports might mistakenly flag your number. By understanding these causes, you can take steps to resolve the issue and ensure that your calls reach their intended recipients without being marked as suspicious.

As an organization, it is critical to know how and why numbers are marked as spam/scam likely. The method for getting a number removed from any spam list is both long and tedious. 

You will have to register the number with all carriers and third-party apps and then contact each of them to ask for your number to be removed. There is no central hub where you can file an application and clean a number. It is easier to rent a new number. 

So rather than go through all of that, here’s what to keep an eye out for. 

Why does my number show up as scam likely?

The ‘scam likely’ label is assigned by the carrier or a third-party app installed on your phone, not the contact’s device itself. 

Every carrier keeps a list of numbers they have flagged as ‘spam’ or a ‘spam risk’ or ‘scam likely’ based on the history of the number, complaints from other users, and analyzing the reputation of the number. 

Further, most phone users tend to install apps that filter or flag incoming calls based on information held in their own databases. Some examples include Truecaller, Nomorobo, Whoscall, Showcaller, Hiya, etc.

Carriers tend to err on the side of the spam label since they are responsible for stopping most unwanted calls consumers receive.  Carriers are shielded from liability even if they flag a legitimate number as spam through the TRACED Act of 2019.

What does scam likely mean?

This label warns consumers that the call they will receive can be a telemarketer or a scam call designed to phish for details. It asks consumers to be aware that the caller may not be who they say they are, or they caller may be cold-calling thousands at random. 

Different carriers may display the warning differently. For example, T-Mobile says ‘scam likely,’ while A&T tends to show ‘suspected scam’ or ‘telemarketer’. 

How do numbers get flagged as spam or scam likely?

Usually, a number is flagged after the carrier analyzes how the number makes calls and checks databases and STIR/SHAKEN protocols before adding the scam likely label. Here are the common factors carriers are assessing. 

• If any number makes too many calls quickly, especially to a wide range of different phone numbers. This is tied to using auto dailers to make these calls and inconsistent usage – for example barely any calls one day, but 200 calls the next day. 

• In a sense, if you use any type of dialer, your number could be incorrectly marked as ‘scam likely’ due to the volume of calls, especially if you’re calling mobile numbers. 

• When people who receive your call report your number as spam, that information is stored in the carrier/third-party app database and flags your number for the rest.

• If your number makes a large number of extremely short calls – such as, hanging up immediately or leaving ‘ring-less’ voice messages sent automatically to voicemail without ringing the phone. 

• The number is already listed in several databases of ‘known scammers’ that telecom companies and call-blocking apps cross-reference.

• If the carrier detects strange patterns in how the number is used, such as making calls outside regular business hours or targeting specific geographic areas,

• The number fails STIR/SHAKEN protocols frequently or is not registered, indicating that this number is pretending to be someone else. 

• A technical glitch in your outbound caller ID system prevents your carrier from verifying your number.  

Why are some new phone numbers already flagged?

Even seemingly brand-new numbers can be vulnerable since the number may not be as new as it appears to the one using it currently, and the actions of the campaign using that number greatly influence the spam label. Consider these reasons: 

• Though an organization may have bought a new number, the same number may have already been flagged as spam when it was used earlier, and the organization may not have updated carrier/third-party app databases before using the number. 

• Further, the number may have already been ‘spoofed’—in which a scammer has already (illegally) used this number and pretended to be someone they are not. This is why all new numbers must go through STIR/SHAKEN registration. 

• Lastly, if the number is immediately used for strange calling activities – like making 1000 calls in an hour or calling randomly.   

Who tracks the flags on my number?

The flags are never stored in a phone. They are always stored in various databases that carriers check before displaying the number on your phone and before the call makes a connection. A flagged number is tracked in three broad places. 

Carriers: All carriers are required by the FCC to maintain a database of suspicious or flagged numbers, and require all numbers being used for calls to be checked against these databases. IF the number is flagged, the carrier sends the ‘spam likely’ signal to your phone. 

The FCC: The FCC maintains a ‘Do Not Call’ list that any consumer can call and add to by filing a formal complaint. Numbers are checked against this database as well, before being considered ‘clean’. 

Third-party app databases: Third-party apps like TrueCaller maintain their own databases, which they update using voluntary information from users and collect feedback from users after every call. 

How to avoid getting flagged as spam or scam likely

There are two ways to avoid getting flagged as spam or scam when it comes to businesses or campaigns. One is the technical requirements. And the other is ‘best practices,’ which are just how you make the calls. 

Technical requirements to avoid being marked as spam: 

• Register all numbers you use for ST̛IR/SHAKEN protocols and with various databases with the carriers and third-party apps. Hint: Let your calling software provider handle this. 

• Always call within legal hours listed by the TCPA regulations – 8 am to 9pm on weekdays. And these timings are for the recipients, not the business. 

• Make sure you are making fewer than 250 calls per day with a single number, especially when calling a large variety of numbers. Ideally, you should make less than 100 calls per day. 

• Maintain an average call duration of over 30 seconds, as this significantly reduces the likelihood of calls being flagged as spam.

• Maintain clean and updated contact lists – frequently updated to remove anyone who opted out, or those numbers in the DNC list, or any litigators. 

• ‘Cool’ numbers marked as spam by not using them for upto 90 days once it has been flagged as spam. 

Best practices to avoid being marked as spam 

• Utilize local numbers when calling people in a specific area, so the calls are answered more frequently and the calls do not seem suspicious to carriers and contacts alike. 

• Do not ‘over contact’ any specific person in the hopes of increasing engagement through callbacks – even if they didn’t answer the first time. Too many callbacks will have you marked as spam. 

• Have a well-developed script that ensures your agent has a brief but meaningful conversation with the contact when the call begins. This stops your calls from being too brief. 

• Keep a rotation of numbers ready for every campaign, so you can quickly switch out any number flagged as spam and ensure no one number calls too many numbers. 

• Conduct frequent feedback sessions with calling agents and contacts so you can fine-tune your scripts and calling hours to maximize positive sentiment. 

How CallHub protects calling campaigns from being marked as ‘scam likely’

While the technical and best practices listed above are in your best interest, it is not realistically possible for any business to maintain these practices by themselves. 

Instead, they should depend on their calling software to handle the bulk of these issues. 

For example, CallHub makes renting local numbers for use during the campaign as easy a click when setting up a campaign, keeping your campaign feeling ‘local’ at all times. 

Three of CallHub’s most critical features are STIR/SHAKEN registration, Spam Label Shield and Proactive Number Rotation. 

STIR/SHAKEN registration  

STIR/SHAKEN means that before an organization makes any calls, all numbers they use are registered with the carrier. This helps the carrier attest the number every time a call is made, and also prevents anyone else from cheating contacts by pretending to be that organization.

CallHub makes the registration easy. You register for a STIR/SHAKEN attestation on CallHub through the ‘Setting’ sub-section. CallHub will need details like: 

• Registration details about your organization – like address, name, etc. 
• EIN.
• Contact details for callbacks.
• Sample script for the kind of calls you intend to make. 

CallHub will submit this information to the carriers and get your number attested. 

Spam Label Shield

CallHub’s Spam Label Shield checks against carriers’, the FTC’s, and third-party call-blocking apps’ databases in real time. The system instantly identifies numbers in the campaign that have been flagged as spam. 

Once identified, CallHub replaces flagged numbers with clean numbers without interrupting calls.

Proactive Number Rotation

While being labeled as spam and having the number replaced is a quick and easy solution to ensure your calls are getting through, the main issue is often that each number is used to make so many calls the number inevitably gets marked as spam. 

CallHub tackles this issue by actively replacing numbers in your calling campaign with fresh rented numbers before they are marked as spam. This not only stops number after number from being ‘burned’ but also reduces the need to ‘cool’ numbers marked as spam since the system ensures most numbers are never flagged at all. 

Whenever an agent dials in a campaign, the system checks and makes the call with a fresh and clean number. 

Beyond these, here are some more ways CallHub backs all customers:  

Call timings: Campaign managers have the flexibility to customize calling hours of their campaign for best results. This includes features like scheduled callbacks to ensure every call goes at an opportune moment. The campaign will only be allowed to make calls during the hours the manager has decided. 

Read More: Best Time for Phonebanking? We Studied 2 Million Calls for the Answer

DNC lists: CallHub ensures you do not call someone on the DNC list, by cross-checking numbers before dialing. Further, through the ‘litigator scrub’, CallHub also removes all known litigators from your list – so you don’t end up calling someone who will sue you in a legal harassment suit.  

Call frequency: CallHub’s dialers let you choose the speed of your dialing and how many numbers you dial in each round. CallHub also allows customization of retry attempts and calling intervals within each campaign, ensuring a strategic approach to call frequency. 

Read More: What is an Auto Dialer, How to Use it, and What to Look for When Selecting One

Call length: CallHub supports linear and branched personalized scripts to tailor conversations to the contact’s interests and concerns. Flexible branching scripts allow longer conversations, giving the agents something to respond to in several different scenarios in an instant. 

In closing, it should be noted that no number is immune from being marked as spam, and no campaign can entirely escape from being marked as such at some point in the calling process. However, the important thing is to remember that as long as you follow the rules and use services like CallHub to their fullest potential – you will find your calling campaigns run far smoother than you ever thought possible. 

Feature Image: Freepik