Read the signal. Know its limits.

Three signals you may see together

Published reports

Reports contain a category and a written account. Publication does not mean PhoneYa independently proved the account or confirmed the number’s owner.

FTC and FCC complaint panels

These show available consumer filings from government datasets. Neither agency verifies the allegations in these records. A listed number has been reported to an agency; it has not necessarily been investigated or found responsible.

Quick emoji ratings

Scam, Spam, Sales, Business, Safe, and Unknown are feedback choices. They describe a contributor’s assessment, not an agency finding or a separate identity check.

Sources: FTC · FCC / Data.gov

What the main label means

Likely Scam

Published scam-category reports meet the automatic rules. This is a warning based on allegations, not proof of fraud or a finding about a named person.

Spam or Telemarketing

The report pattern meets the rules for unwanted contact or sales calls. These labels do not, by themselves, establish attempted fraud.

Political Calls

Political-category reports predominate under the rules. Political reports alone do not trigger the scam label; this category does not determine whether a particular call complies with every applicable rule.

Likely Legitimate

Positive business reports meet the community-pattern rules. This is not business verification or a guarantee that an incoming call displaying the number is genuine.

Reported to FTC, FCC, or both

The named agencies have complaint records in our data. The badge can be neutral or cautionary depending on complaint volume and available dates. Neither color represents an agency verdict.

Unknown or No reports yet

The available evidence does not produce a conclusive category, or there are no published reports or agency complaints to show. Missing information is not a safety endorsement.

How the automatic label is selected

Automatic rules compare published report categories and proportions to select scam, unwanted-call, sales, business, or political labels. This is not an investigation or an AI fact-check of each caller.

When government records supply the warning, the current complaint-volume threshold is 10 filings from one agency, or six combined when both agencies have filings. This is a rule for showing caution—not a count of distinct victims or independently confirmed events.

If the newest available complaint date across the agencies is more than 18 months old, those filings alone do not trigger the cautionary label. Old records can remain visible. Missing dates are not automatically treated as old. This age check does not apply to community reports.

Carrier, VoIP status, area code, and quick-rating totals are not inputs to this main label. Community labels can remain alongside agency records; the header is not a complete assessment of every signal on the page.

Do not add the counters together

FTC and FCC totals count filings in our imported data, not verified unique people. The same experience may be reported more than once or to both agencies. Robocall counts are a subset of complaints, not additional complaints; a robocall percentage is not the probability that your call is a scam.

A published report can also generate an emoji rating. People can add, change, or remove a rating separately. Ratings and report votes are not independent confirmations to add to report totals.

Check the call, not just the number

Caller ID can be spoofed to display someone else’s number. Numbers can also change hands, making older reports or names irrelevant. A negative label can be mistaken, and a reassuring label can accompany a spoofed call.

If an unexpected caller claims to represent an organization, pause. Use a contact route you independently trust, such as its official app, website, or the number on your card. Do not share a password or verification code because the caller knows your name or the lookup looks familiar.

Sources: FTC

If the result looks wrong

1. Identify the information at issue

   Identify the report, caller-name label, agency record, or automatic summary you’re questioning. Include the number-page URL when contacting us.

2. Use the relevant review route

   Flag a report or reply with its Report control. For a number-removal request, use Request removal of this number on its page. These actions submit a concern for review; they do not automatically delete information.

3. Send supporting context privately

   Use our contact form for another correction or question. Explain what is wrong without posting private documents or account information in a public report. A PhoneYa request does not amend an agency’s original dataset.