Your calls deserve better than “Scam Likely”

Picking a voice carrier sounds simple—until angry customers report dropped calls, or worse, see your caller-ID show up as Spam Likely. A single bad route can burn revenue and brand trust overnight. Use the checklist below to zero in on hidden deal-breakers before you sign.

Red flag #1 No STIR/SHAKEN attestation

If a provider can’t prove it signs calls at the A-level under the FCC STIR/SHAKEN rules, your traffic is already suspect. Calls without full attestation are the first to be blocked by major US operators.

Mini-case: An East-Coast reseller paid 0.05 ¢ less per minute using an “unattested” VoIP aggregator—until 18 % of its calls were auto-rejected, erasing every cent saved.

Red flag #2 Shrugging at traceback requests

The Industry Traceback Group (ITG) is the FCC-designated body that hunts illegal robocalls. FCC rules require carriers to cooperate. If your vendor “doesn’t bother” with ITG tickets, downstream partners can—and will—block all of its traffic.

Mini-case: After ignoring three ITG notices, one mid-size CLEC saw every tier-1 carrier cut its trunks for 48 hours, costing an estimated $180 k in lost margin.

Red flag #3 Cheap but opaque routing

“Least-cost” sounds smart until routes hop through four unknown resellers. According to YouMail’s May 2025 robocall index, the US still endured 4.8 billion robocalls in a single month, much of it launched via grey routes.
Opaque routing kills answer-seizure-ratio (ASR) and hurts caller reputation scores that big carriers now track in real time.

Red flag #4 weak KYC and DNO hygiene

Carriers that skip Know-Your-Customer checks or “Do-Not-Originate” (DNO) screening create a playground for number spoofers. That’s how your legitimate traffic ends up flagged by T-Mobile’s network-level “Scam Likely” filter.
If a provider doesn’t thorougly check you before you become a customer – it’s probably better not to be their customer at all.

Red flag #5 FCC enforcement history (or silence)

In April 2024 the FCC told all US carriers they could block traffic from Veriwave Telco after repeated warnings over illegal tax-relief robocalls.
If your prospective carrier’s name appears in Enforcement Bureau notices—or if they refuse to discuss compliance audits—consider it a flashing red stoplight.

Put this checklist to work—risk-free

Ready for a partner that scores five green checks? We are serious about collaborating with only serious and trustworthy partners. See if you qualify for a custom quotation for a fully compliant US voice wholesale relationship.

Related Reading:

• Hidden Costs of Cheap US Voice Termination
• Why Serious Carriers Vet Traffic, Not Just Partners
• Right US Voice Partner