Editorial Policy

Content Review Standards

Every report is screened before publication. Screening is automated first — clear-cut reports publish immediately, and anything borderline is held for a person to review. The process evaluates:

• Relevance: Does the report describe an actual phone call experience?
• Specificity: Does it provide useful details about the caller's behavior or claims?
• Prohibited Content: We reject reports containing personal attacks, profanity, threats, advertising, or personally identifiable information about individuals.
• Accuracy Indicators: We look for consistency with other reports about the same number.

What We Publish

• Official FTC complaint data (published automatically from government sources)
• User reports that pass our review process
• Aggregated statistics (total reports, scam percentage, etc.)
• Risk assessments based on combined data sources

What We Don't Publish

• Personal names, addresses, or other identifying information
• Unverified claims about specific individuals
• Content that appears to be harassment or defamation
• Spam or promotional content
• Reports that cannot be reasonably verified

Corrections and Removals

We are committed to accuracy. If you believe information on our site is incorrect:

• Report Flagging: Users can flag any report for additional review using the "Report" button.
• Removal Requests: Phone number owners can request removal through our removal request form on any number page.
• Legal Requests: We respond to valid legal requests for content removal within 48 hours.

Carrier and Line-Type Data

As of July 2026, Phoneya supplements community reports with carrier intelligence sourced from the Telnyx Number Lookup API. For phone numbers that have received user reports or FTC complaints, we display:

• Carrier name: The telecommunications provider associated with the number, which may differ from the original assigned carrier if the number has been ported.
• Line type: Whether the number is a mobile, landline, toll-free, or VoIP line. VoIP numbers are flagged separately because they are disproportionately associated with scam operations.
• Number validity: Whether the number falls within a valid, assignable North American Numbering Plan (NANP) range. Numbers outside valid ranges are highlighted as potential spoofed or fabricated identifiers.
• Registered location: The rate-center city and state associated with the number block at the time of the lookup. This reflects the number's assigned geography, not necessarily the caller's physical location.
• Ported status: Whether the number has been transferred between carriers. Ported numbers may show a carrier-of-record (SPID carrier) that differs from the original block owner.

Carrier data is cached and refreshed periodically. It is provided for informational context only and does not constitute a determination of the caller's identity or intent.

FTC Data Handling

Data from the FTC Do Not Call Registry is displayed as-is from the official government source. We do not modify or editorialize FTC complaint data. When we indicate a number is "Flagged by FTC," this means the FTC has received one or more consumer complaints about that number. See our How We Flag Scams page for details.

Risk Assessment Methodology

Each number page displays an automated risk level (Safe, Low Risk, Moderate Risk, High Risk, or Likely Scam) derived from a weighted combination of signals:

• Total report count and recency
• Proportion of reports categorized as scam, telemarketing, or debt collection
• Number of FTC complaints and whether robocall complaints are included
• Line type (VoIP numbers receive elevated risk weighting)
• Number validity (invalid NANP ranges receive maximum risk weighting)

Risk levels are recalculated automatically when new reports are submitted. They represent a statistical pattern across community data and should not be treated as a definitive determination of fraudulent intent.

Disclaimer