cold calling
• 5 min readHow to Check if Your Number is Marked as Spam Likely and How to Fix it!
Published Feburary 13, 2025

Published Feburary 13, 2025
Imagine spending hours dialing prospects, only to realize no one answers your calls because your number is showing up as "Likely Sales," "Likely Spam," or "Likely Scam" on their caller ID.
For sales reps and cold callers, this is a nightmare. If your number is flagged, your dial-to-connect rate plummets, making it nearly impossible to hit your quota. But why does this happen, and more importantly—how can you fix it?
In this guide, we’ll break down:
✅ How to check if your number is flagged as likely spam/sales/scam
✅ Why this happens and how it affects your connect rates
✅ Actionable steps to fix and prevent it
Let’s dive in.
Major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon use analytics and AI-driven spam filters to detect unwanted robocalls. Unfortunately, these systems often mislabel legitimate cold calls as spam due to the volume of outgoing calls salespeople make.
1) High call volume from a single number – If you're making hundreds of outbound calls daily, it might trigger carrier spam filters.
2) Low answer rates – If people frequently ignore or decline your calls, the system assumes they’re unwanted.
3) Too many short-duration calls – Hanging up quickly or getting declined often can be a red flag.
4) Being reported by recipients – If too many people manually mark your number as spam, carriers take notice.
5) Similarity to scammer behavior – If your dialing patterns match known robocall scams, your number gets flagged.
The result? Fewer answered calls, fewer conversations, and fewer sales.
Before fixing the issue, you need to verify whether your number is actually flagged.
1) SureConnect.ai Likely Sales/Spam/Scam Checker – Instantly check if your number is showing up as likely spam/scam/sales across major US carriers.
2) Hiya & First Orion Lookup – Some carriers use these services to label calls. You can check your number status on their websites.
3) Call Transparency Portals – AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have portals where you can verify your number status:
If your number is flagged, don’t panic—there are ways to fix it.
Cold calling is already tough, but getting flagged makes it 10x harder to hit your quota.
🔹 Lower connect rates – Your call pickup rates drop by 50% or more when flagged.
🔹 Wasted time & effort – SDRs and sales reps burn hours dialing numbers that never answer.
🔹 Lost revenue opportunities – Less conversations = fewer deals closed.
According to a FTC report, over 2.5 billion calls per month in the US are flagged as spam. Many are legitimate businesses misidentified by carrier filters.
Now, let’s talk solutions.
If your number is already flagged, here’s how to fix it ASAP and prevent future issues.
Legitimate businesses should register their phone numbers with analytics providers to prevent wrongful spam labeling:
Hiya – Register Here
First Orion – Register Here
TNS (Transaction Network Services) – Register Here
Branded Caller ID displays your business name instead of an unknown number. This builds trust with prospects, making them more likely to answer your calls. Unlike generic caller IDs that often trigger suspicion, a branded caller ID helps legitimize your outreach and reduce the chances of being flagged as spam.
Several providers offer Branded Caller ID solutions, including:
Hiya Connect – Used by major carriers like AT&T, Hiya allows businesses to brand their calls and improve answer rates.
First Orion Branded Calling – Helps businesses display their name, logo, and reason for calling on supported devices.
TNS Enterprise Branded Calling – Provides businesses with verified caller ID solutions across multiple networks.
By using Branded Caller IDs, sales teams can increase trust, improve pickup rates, and enhance customer experience, leading to more meaningful conversations and higher conversion rates.
Lower your call volume per number – Stay under 200 calls per day per number to avoid triggering spam filters.
Increase answer rates – Use local presence dialing to match area codes with prospects.
Avoid excessive hang-ups – Complete conversations instead of quick hang-ups, which signal spam behavior.
Check your number regularly using SureConnect.ai’s Spam Checker.
Replace flagged numbers immediately with fresh, clean numbers to avoid further damage.
Tools like STIR/SHAKEN allow businesses to verify their caller ID, proving legitimacy to carriers. Many call protection services favor verified numbers, increasing your answer rates.
If your calls aren’t going through, it’s not just bad luck—it’s a problem you can fix.
✅ Check your number using SureConnect.ai’s free tool.
✅ Register your number with carriers to prevent spam flags.
✅ Use number rotation and local presence dialing to increase connect rates.
✅ Monitor and replace flagged numbers before they hurt your sales.
Cold calling is tough enough—don’t let spam filters make it harder. Fix your flagged number today and start having real conversations.