Why Is My Phone Number Flagged as a Scam or Spam Likely? Causes and Fixes

A spam phone number is a phone number used to send unsolicited texts or make unwanted calls with a hidden caller's identity. Generally, individuals use these numbers for advertising, phishing, scamming, or distributing malware.

Spam or Scam numbers are used to sell products, promote services, or trick people into giving away personal information or money. These numbers can contact you in various forms, such as robocalls, promotional calls, or text messages claiming unpaid bills, announcing false prizes, and other fake offers.

Use number lookup services, contact carrier providers, or simply call a user with spam detection apps on their mobile phones to know if your phone number is on the spam list.

• Phone Number Lookup Service: Phone number lookup services like Truecaller offer Spam Number Lookup and Scammer Phone Number Lookup services. To check your number's legitimacy on Truecaller, enter your phone number in the search bar to see spam stats and a detailed breakdown of your number activities.
• Check With Carrier Providers: Phone carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile have built-in spam filters that automatically identify and block spam calls. So you can contact the support department and ask whether your number is on the spam list.​
• Search Online: Scam numbers are often reported by others, and they can be found on forum posts or websites that provide a list of known scam phone numbers. So, explore such sites to see if your number is also there.
• Call a User With Spam Detection App: Call a person from your contacts who has installed an app to detect scams on their cell phones or enabled auto scam detection. Then, ask them what is shown in their caller ID. If your number is not legitimate, it’ll show as a spam phone number.

Your number might be flagged as spam if you call the same contact frequently in a short period and disconnect the call repeatedly. Moreover, if your number was previously used for scams and spam calls or has an inconsistent call history, your phone number is flagged as a spam phone number.
 

• High Call Volume: Making 100+ calls/hour mimics robocallers or telemarketers.
• Short Call Duration: Frequently hanging up under 5 seconds signal spam.
• Calls Going Straight to Voicemail: If your calls are directly sent to voicemail, this may also indicate that the receiver considers your number a robocall or spam.
• Previous Use By Spammers: Scammers might have previously used your number.
• Users Report: Multiple recipients marking your number as spam can also red-flag your number as spam.
• Caller ID Spoofing: Scammers might use caller ID spoofing to clone your number and taint its reputation.
• Inconsistent Call History: Frequently Calling strangers at odd hours (e.g., late nights) represents the behavior of scammers or spammers.

Register your phone number with carrier providers, the Free Call Registry, or the Federal Trade Commission to get your phone number off the spam list​.

Carriers partner with spam-filtering services to review flagged numbers:

• Verizon: Submit a request via their Spam Reporting Tool.
• AT&T: Works with Hiya—contact support for reevaluation.
• T-Mobile: Partners with First Orion; use their Reporting Form.

When your phone number is marked as spam, it can affect your business’s reputation when contacting a client. Alongside following inappropriate calling patterns, getting a phone number from a non-reliable provider is the key reason your number is labeled spam.

That's why it's always important to acquire phone numbers from a licensed dealer. If you’re looking for a reliable phone number online, consider Calilio. We offer legitimate virtual phone numbers from more than 100 countries. Sign up today!