# Real estate agents: is your number showing as spam?

**If leads aren't picking up, your number may be showing a warning like "Spam Risk" or "Scam Likely" on their phones.** Past clients who saved your number won't see it, which is why it's easy to miss. Check what a stranger's phone shows, fix the cause, and request a review from the carrier's analytics provider.

[Check your number free](/#check) *(AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile)*

## Why agents get flagged

- **You call a lot of people who've never heard of you.** Expired listings, FSBOs, open-house sign-ins and portal leads are often first contact. Hiya says spam labels are driven mostly by how people respond to calls: reports, blocks, and calls that go unanswered.
- **Prospecting bursts.** A morning power hour of short calls matches the patterns the FCC gave as examples of reasonable call analytics: bursts of calls, short durations and low completion.
- **Your clients don't see the problem.** On AT&T, saved contacts override spam warnings. Your sphere sees your name, while new leads see the warning.
- **Your cell number has a past.** Numbers are recycled, and Hiya lists a previous owner's history as one reason a number can be labeled.

## Do Not Call basics for prospecting calls

Calls people didn't want generate reports, and reports drive labels. Staying inside the Do Not Call rules protects your number as well as your license:

- **Past clients:** you can generally call for up to 18 months after their last transaction, even if they're on the National Do Not Call Registry.
- **Inquiries:** if someone asked you about a property or your services, you generally have 3 months to follow up.
- **Expired listings:** the FCC declined to exempt these calls from the Do Not Call rules, so an expired-listing owner on the registry can't simply be cold called.
- **FSBOs:** you may call a FSBO about buying the home on behalf of a buyer you represent, but not to solicit the listing if they're on the registry.

*This summarizes a guide from Oregon REALTORS® and isn't legal advice. Check your brokerage's policies and state rules.*

## What to do

1. **Check what leads see.** [Run a check](/#check) on AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Our test phones don't have your number saved, so they see what a new lead sees.
2. **Ask your carrier to set your caller name.** A name like "Jane Smith Realty" helps people recognize you. It's separate from spam labels.
3. **Register your number for free:** [Free Caller Registry](https://freecallerregistry.com), plus [Hiya Number Registration](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) for a business number.
4. **If you're flagged, request a review:** [AT&T](/guides/remove-spam-label-att) · [Verizon](/guides/remove-spam-label-verizon) · [T-Mobile](/guides/remove-scam-likely-tmobile)
5. **Re-check every few days** until it clears. Reviews commonly take days to weeks.

**Don't switch numbers to escape a label.** Your number is on your signs, cards and listings, and a new number has no history, which can draw scrutiny of its own. Fix the cause and request a review first.

## FAQ

### Why do my past clients answer but new leads don't?
On AT&T, people who've saved your number don't see spam warnings. New leads who haven't saved it may see "Spam Risk." Check what a phone without your number saved shows.

### Can I cold call expired listings?
Not if the owner's number is on the National Do Not Call Registry, unless an exception such as an established business relationship applies. The FCC declined to exempt expired-listing calls. Check with your brokerage.

### Will getting a new number fix it?
Usually not as a first step. New numbers have no history, and the calling habits that caused the label will follow you. Fix the cause and request a review first.

## Sources

- [Oregon REALTORS®: Do Not Call rules for real estate](https://oregonrealtors.org/?p=22627)
- [AT&T ActiveArmor terms of service](https://www.att.com/activearmormseula)
- [Hiya Connect: Branded Call FAQ](https://connect-support.hiya.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500006429402-Branded-Call-Frequently-Asked-Questions)
- [Hiya Help: My phone number is labeled as spam](https://spamblocker-support.hiya.com/en/articles/28-my-phone-number-is-labeled-as-spam-%E2%80%94-how-to-fix-it)
- [ACA International: Summary of FCC 2019 declaratory ruling](https://policymakers.acainternational.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/concerns-regarding-fcc-call-blocking-and-labeling-efforts-declaratory-ruling-and-fnprm-may-2019.pdf)
- [TNS: FreeCallerRegistry.com launch](https://tnsi.com/?p=2046)