NAVIGATING THE ‘SPAM LIKELY’ LABYRINTH
STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING AND REMEDIATING INCORRECTLY FLAGGED OUTBOUND CALLS
January 14th, 2026 in Cyber Security & Communications by Joseph Meyer, 3 Tree Tech VP of Tech Strategy
Executive Summary
In an era of pervasive robocalls and fraudulent communications, legitimate businesses are increasingly finding their outbound phone numbers mislabeled as “Spam Likely” or “Scam Risk.” This erosion of trust in voice communication significantly impacts operational efficiency, customer engagement, and ultimately, a company’s bottom line. This white paper delves into the multifaceted causes behind this challenge, outlining essential proactive measures for building and maintaining a positive calling reputation, as well as reactive strategies for remediating mislabeled numbers. Furthermore, it explores advanced enterprise solutions designed to provide holistic voice security and assurance, ensuring that critical business communications reach their intended recipients without undue interruption.
1. Introduction: The Unintended Consequence of Spam Protection
The digital age has brought unprecedented connectivity, yet it has also given rise to sophisticated forms of telecommunication fraud and unsolicited calls.In response, mobile carriers and third-party analytics providers have deployed robust systems to identify and block unwanted calls. While these measures are crucial for protecting consumers, they frequently ensnare legitimate business calls, labeling them incorrectly as “spam” or “scam.” This phenomenon creates significant hurdles for organizations reliant on outbound voice communication—from customer service and sales to healthcare and logistics. Reduced answer rates translate directly into lost opportunities, decreased productivity, and a compromised customer experience. This paper aims to equip businesses with the knowledge and strategies required to navigate this complex landscape, safeguard their calling reputation, and ensure the integrity of their voice communications.
2. The Problem: Eroding Trust in Voice Communication
The mislabeling of legitimate calls stems from a combination of technical, behavioral, and regulatory factors:
Overly Aggressive Anti-Spam Algorithms: To combat the sheer volume of illicit calls, carriers and third-party apps employ advanced algorithms that analyze call patterns, frequently leading to false positives. These algorithms often prioritize blocking potentially unwanted calls, even at the risk of blocking legitimate ones.
Incomplete or Missing STIR/SHAKEN Attestation: The STIR/SHAKEN framework aims to authenticate caller ID information, verifying that calls originate from the numbers displayed. Calls lacking proper, high-level (A- level) attestation are viewed with suspicion and are more susceptible to being flagged, as their authenticity cannot be fully confirmed.
“Suspicious” Calling Patterns: Algorithms flag behaviors commonly associated with spammers. This includes:
High Volume and Short Duration: Making many calls from a single number within a short timeframe, especially if calls are short or frequently unanswered.
Unusual Geographic Origination: Calls appearing to originate frommultiple or uncharacteristic locations for the calling entity.
Sequential Dialing: Calling numbers in sequence.
New Numbers: Numbers recently provisioned or frequently rotated can be viewed as suspicious due to a lack of established reputation.
User Feedback and Crowdsourcing: Mobile phone users can directly mark calls as spam. A sufficient volume of such reports, even if subjective, can quickly tarnish a number’s reputation across various platforms.
Number History and Spoofing: A legitimate number might be flagged if it was previously used for spam by a prior owner or if it has been spoofed by malicious actors. Spoofing allows fraudulent calls to appear as if they are coming from a trusted, legitimate number, thereby damaging that number’s reputation.
“Dead Air” Calls: Technical issues leading to a delay before a live agent speaks can cause recipients to hang up and potentially report the call as spam, as it mimics common robocall behavior.
The cumulative effect of these factors is a significant decline in answer rates for legitimate businesses, resulting in missed appointments, uncollected payments, reduced sales, and overall operational inefficiencies.
3. Comprehensive Strategies for Call Reputation Management
Addressing the “spam likely” challenge requires a multi-pronged approach encompassing both proactive prevention and reactive remediation.
3.1. Proactive Prevention: Building a Strong Calling Reputation
The most effective strategy is to prevent numbers from being flagged in the first place.
3.1.1. Number Registration and Authentication:
STIR/SHAKEN Implementation: Work closely with your voice service provider to ensure all outbound numbers are fully compliant with STIR/SHAKEN standards and achieve the highest possible attestation level (A-level). This cryptographic verification is a cornerstone of establishing trust.
Caller ID Reputation Services Registration: Proactively register your legitimate business numbers with major Caller ID and call analytics providers, such as Hiya, First Orion, and TNS. Many offer portals specifically for businesses to register their numbers and ensure accurate Caller ID display.
The Campaign Registry (for A2P Messaging): For organizations using Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS messaging, registering campaigns and numbers with The Campaign Registry is essential to prevent messages (and associated voice calls) from being filtered or blocked.
3.1.2. Meticulous Calling Hygiene:
Consistent and Accurate Caller ID (CNAM): Always use a clear, consistent, and recognizable Caller ID name that accurately reflects your organization. Avoid generic labels.
Strategic Number Segmentation: Designate specific numbers for specific purposes (e.g., customer service, sales, outbound campaigns). Avoid using a single number for diverse functions or for functions that could generate high call volumes, as this can make patterns appear more suspicious.
Managed Call Volume and Pacing: Avoid sudden, large spikes in call volume from a single number. Implement call pacing strategies to distribute calls evenly and avoid behavior that mimics robocalling. If high volume is necessary, consider using a pool of numbers.
Adherence to “Do Not Call” (DNC) Lists: Strictly comply with national and internal DNC registries. Unsolicited calls are a primary driver of consumer complaints and subsequent spam flagging.
Optimized Call Flow and Connection: Ensure calls connect quickly to a live agent, minimizing “dead air” that can lead to hang-ups and spam reports.
Professional Agent Training: Train all calling agents on best practices, including clear introductions, stating the call’s purpose, and respecting recipient preferences.
Avoid Frequent Number Rotation: Consistently use established numbers rather than constantly switching to new ones. New numbers lack a reputation history and are more easily flagged.
3.2. Reactive Remediation: Restoring Damaged Call Reputation
When a number has already been flagged, swift and targeted action is required.
3.2.1. Identify the Flagging Source:
Gather Evidence: Request screenshots from contacts who report seeing the “spam” label. The specific wording (e.g., “Scam Likely by T-Mobile,” “Spam Risk by Verizon”) often reveals the carrier or app responsible.
Internal Testing: Regularly call your own mobile phones (across different carriers if possible) to observe how your numbers appear.
3.2.2. Direct Engagement with Call Analytics Providers:
T-Mobile / FirstOrion / PrivacyStar https://callreporting.t-mobile.com/
Verizon https://www.voicespamfeedback.com/vsf/
Verizon / Wireless / TNS www.reportarobocall.com
AT&T https://hiyahelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=824667
Google Business https://www.google.com/business/
Call Transparency https://calltransparency.com/
Free Call Registry https://freecallerregistry.com/fcr/
3.2.3. Collaboration with Your Voice Service Provider:
Escalation and Guidance: Your primary voice service provider (e.g. Vonage, Dialpad) can be a crucial ally. They often have direct channels to other carriers and analytics firms and can assist in escalating remediation requests or guiding you through the correct processes.
CNAM and STIR/SHAKEN Verification: Confirm with your provider that your Caller ID (CNAM) is correctly registered and that your calls are receiving appropriate STIR/SHAKEN attestation.
3.2.4. Documentation and Persistence:
Provide Evidence: When submitting remediation requests, be prepared to provide business registration details, proof of number ownership, and descriptions of your legitimate calling practices.
Follow-Up: Remediation can take time. Maintain a record of all requests and follow up as necessary.
Continuous Monitoring: Even after a number is delisted, continuous monitoring is vital, as reputations can fluctuate based on ongoing call patterns and user feedback.
4. Leveraging Advanced Enterprise Voice Security and Assurance Solutions
For larger enterprises with complex communication needs, holistic voice security and assurance solutions, offer integrated capabilities to manage and protect their voice infrastructure. These solutions provide a layered approach:
4.1. Call Security (Call Defense):
Threat Mitigation: Employs advanced voice firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) to detect and block malicious call activities, including Telephony Denial of Service attacks, call pumping, social engineering, and robocalls.
“Red List” Protection: Utilizes proprietary databases of known fraudsters and spammers to proactively terminate malicious calls before they reach agents.
Analytics and Forensics: Provides detailed reporting and analytics on call patterns, aiding in the identification and investigation of suspicious activity.
Benefits: Reduces financial loss, maintains regulatory compliance, and safeguards brand reputation by preventing unauthorized access and malicious activity.
4.2. Call Secure (Managed Services):
Offers managed services for monitoring, detection, policy control, and response to voice security threats, enabling businesses to offload the complexities of voice security management.
4.3. Authentication:
Inbound Call Verification: A cloud-based service that quickly verifies and scores inbound calls for authenticity, identifying spoofed numbers, validating Caller ID (STIR/SHAKEN Attestation A), and flagging recently ported numbers (which can indicate fraudulent activity).
API Integration: Integrates with major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) and assigns risk scores to calls.
Benefits: Decreases fraud, improves customer experience by reducing the need for extensive identity verification, and enhances customer satisfaction.
4.4. Voice Assurance (Layered Approach for Outbound Calls):
Reputation Defense: A proactive service for managing phone number reputation, registering numbers with analytics providers, and automatically redressing negative labels. It provides daily updates and monitoring of reputation changes.
Contact Call Branding: A solution to increase outbound call answer rates by ensuring calls are labeled with the enterprise’s brand name, logo, and reason for calling across major wireless devices. This builds trust and encourages answer rates by up to 42% in some use cases.
Spoof Protection: Identifies and blocks calls that attempt to spoof an organization’s corporate calling numbers, thereby protecting the brand’s reputation and maintaining high answer rates.
Benefits: Improves answer rates, reduces wasted operational costs (e.g., missed appointments), and significantly enhances the customer experience.
5. Benefits of Effective Call Reputation Management
Implementing robust strategies for call reputation management yields tangible benefits for businesses:
Increased Answer Rates: Legitimate calls are recognized and answered, improving connectivity with customers, partners, and prospects.
Reduced Operational Costs: Fewer unanswered calls mean less wasted agent time, lower call-back volumes, and more efficient resource utilization.
Enhanced Customer Experience (CX): Customers receive important calls without confusion or mistrust, leading to smoother interactions and higher satisfaction.
Fraud Prevention: Proactive measures and authentication solutions significantly reduce inbound and outbound fraud risks, protecting both the business and its customers.
Brand Protection: Maintaining a positive calling reputation reinforces brand trust and credibility, preventing the negative perception associated with “spam” labels.
Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to DNC lists and STIR/SHAKEN requirements helps maintain compliance with telecommunication regulations.
6. Conclusion
The proliferation of “spam likely” labels poses a critical threat to legitimate voice communication. Businesses can no longer afford to overlook their call reputation. By adopting a comprehensive strategy that combines diligent proactive prevention, systematic reactive remediation, and, for enterprises, advanced voice security and assurance solutions, organizations can effectively navigate this challenging landscape. Rebuilding and maintaining trust in voice communication is not merely a technical task; it is a strategic imperative that directly impacts operational efficiency, customer relationships, and long-term business success.
