Symptom
When making an outbound call using an 8x8 number, the destination phone is labeling the call as "spam" or "Likely spam".
Applies To
- 8x8 Work
- 8x8 Contact Center
Resolution
Calls/numbers being marked as spam is done on the destination carrier so 8x8 has no control over the designation or removal from their spam lists. If your number has been designated as spam, the best solution would be to reach out to the destination carrier directly and request that your number be removed from their spam list. In addition, below are some carrier specific resources you can submit a request to:
Cause
Illegal robocalls and spam calls have been an increasing problem that affects everyone, regardless of phone number, carrier or location. They have become unavoidable, flooding phone networks with spam calls so frequently that most people have been accustomed to not picking up calls from unknown numbers. Scammers will use tactics such as illegal caller ID spoofing so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or from a company or government agency that you may already know and trust. They do this in an attempt to steal your money or personal information which can be used in fraudulent activity. In the US alone, consumers are hit with billions of spam calls every month. Unfortunately this illegal practice is very profitable and has thus far been difficult to mitigate. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is aware of this; these illegal unwanted calls are their top consumer complaint and top consumer protection priority. These include complaints from consumers whose numbers are being spoofed or whose calls are being mistakenly blocked or labeled as a possible scam call by a robocall blocking app or service.
Some of the steps the FCC has implemented to combat illegal spam calls include:
- Issuing hundreds of millions of dollars in enforcement actions against illegal robocallers.
- Empowering phone companies to block by default illegal or unwanted calls based on reasonable call analytics before the calls reach consumers.
- Allowing consumer options on tools to block calls from any number that doesn't appear on a customer's contact list or other "white list."
- Requiring phone companies to implement caller ID authentication to help reduce illegal spoofing.
- Making consumer complaint data available to enable better call blocking and labeling solutions.
Most if not all major phone carriers have implemented measures to combat spam calls which can range from:
- Labeling calls as spam to the destination phone based on data analytics, network intelligence and customer reports. An example attribute would be high volume short duration calls.
- Providing services that automatically blocks suspected spam calls.
- Installing an app to block/report calls as spam (which can factor into the carrier's data analytics)
iPhones and Android phones come with built-in features for blocking specific phone numbers.
There are also various 3rd parties who provide services to reduce spam/robocalls:
It’s important to note that many robocalls are legal. The FCC allows them for some informational or noncommercial purposes, such as:
- Messages that are purely informational. Robocalls about your flight being canceled, reminding you about an appointment, or letting you know about a delayed school opening fall into this category, as long as the caller doesn’t also try to sell you something.
- Debt collection calls. A business contacting you to collect a debt can use robocalls to reach you. But robocalls that try to sell you services to lower your debt are illegal and are almost certainly scams.
- Political calls.
- Calls from some health care providers. This includes a robocall from a pharmacy reminding you to refill a prescription.
- Messages from charities. Charities can make these calls to you themselves. But if a charity hires someone to make robocalls on its behalf, unless you are a prior donor or member of the charity, the robocall is illegal. They also must include an automated option to let you stop future calls.
The FCC has taken a big step towards eliminating illegal spam calls by requiring providers to implement STIR/SHAKEN in the Internet Protocol (IP) portions of their networks on June 30, 2021. The STIR/SHAKEN framework, an industry-standard caller ID authentication technology, is a set of technical standards and protocols that allow for the authentication and verification of caller ID information for calls carried over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. As implementation continues to progress, it will give people more confidence that the caller ID information they receive is accurate and will allow voice service providers to provide helpful information to their consumers about which calls to answer.
8x8 has implemented the STIR/SHAKEN framework within our network and is certified with the FCC Robocall Mitigation Database. 8x8 is committed to providing exceptional service to our customers and doing our part to establish an industry wide solution to help put an end to illegal robocalls and scammers.