Spam Mislabeling for Elastic SIP Trunking

You’re trying to reach your customers, and instead your calls are getting ignored or blocked because they are being labeled as Spam Likely, Scam Risk, Robo or similar..… you’re not alone. 

This is a very common industry-wide issue and we’re on your side in helping you work through it.

Why This Happens

Call labeling is handled by Wireless carriers (like AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) and Third-party analytics companies (like TNS, Hiya, First Orion, Neustar).

These systems are designed to stop spam and fraud, however sometimes legitimate businesses can get caught in the mix and end up getting mislabeled.

When the analytics companies determine if calls are related to spam, they look at the following:

• How your numbers are being used
• Calling patterns and volume
• Customer complaints or blocking activity
• Historical reputation of the number
• Calling Name (CNAM).
   

What It Looks Like

Different carriers and analytics providers label calls differently.

How You Can Fix It

There isn’t a single instant fix, but the following steps will give you the best chance of improving the issue overall.

1. Configure Calling Name Value (CNAM)

• Make sure your Calling Name is set with an accurate name customers will recognize.
• Missing, generic, or incorrect CNAM can negatively impact how your calls are scored, making them more likely to be labeled as spam.

2. Register your numbers (most important step)

• Use the Free Caller Registry website to register your numbers. This site will register your numbers with the major analytics providers (e.g. First Orion, Hiya, TNS) that support multiple phone providers to help establish that your calls are legitimate.

Note - After registering, analytics systems will still evaluate your traffic based on behavior.
 

3. Follow Calling Best Practices

• Call labeling is influenced by how calls are placed and how recipients interact with them.
• For a full list of recommended calling practices, see Calling Best Practices section below.
   

What If the Issue Persists?

If your calls are still being labeled as spam after updating CNAM and registering with the Free Caller Registry, the next step is to submit your number(s) directly to the provider responsible for labeling on the affected carrier’s network. Each provider has its own process and review timeline.

Note - If you are unsure which provider applies to a specific number, Sinch Support may be able to assist in identifying the correct carrier.

What if the Issue Persists After Working with Provider?

If you’ve engaged the problem provider and you’re still stuck, bring it to us.

We can help with the following:

• Help you understand what might be triggering the labeling
• Guide you through next steps
• Assist where escalation is possible

At the same time, we want to be transparent:

• Carriers and analytics companies control the labeling systems
• They’ve intentionally pushed registration and reputation management to end users
• That means we don’t have a direct remove spam label button

But that doesn’t mean you’re on your own. We’ll work through it with you.

Calling Best Practices

Build Trust with Consistent, Legitimate Traffic

• Maintain consistent, natural calling patterns
• Avoid sudden spikes in volume or very short duration calls at scale. Predictable usage builds trust over time.
• Ensure strong customer validation (KYC)
• Confirm that traffic on your account is legitimate. This helps protect overall number reputation.

What Can Accidentally Make It Worse

• The first few calls from a number are more likely to be labeled due to no reputation
• Testing new numbers repeatedly
  • This is one of the most common issues. While it feels logical to test a new number:
• Numbers with very low call volume are often flagged as suspicious
• Cycling through numbers reinforces this pattern
• This can create a loop where every new number continues to be flagged.

Day-to-Day Calling Practices

• Avoid high-volume call bursts
• Spread outbound calls over time to avoid looking like automated traffic.
• Limit repeat calls to the same number
• Frequent attempts in a short window can increase spam risk.
• Keep calling patterns consistent
• Sudden changes in volume, timing, or location can trigger filtering.
• Use consistent outbound numbers
• Frequently rotating numbers can reduce trust and reputation.
• Watch answer rates and rejections
• Low answer rates or frequent declines can impact how calls are labeled.