What actually decides if your calls get flagged
Two signals on the number drive the label a recipient's phone shows. The first is the caller-ID name (CNAM) registered for the number in LIDB. If no CNAM is registered, or it is a generic placeholder like WIRELESS CALLER or UNKNOWN, carriers treat the number as effectively unregistered and lean toward a spam label.
The second is the line type: mobile, landline, fixed VoIP, or non-fixed VoIP. Non-fixed VoIP numbers are disproportionately spam-labeled by call-analytics vendors, so the same CNAM can perform very differently depending on the line it sits on.
Systems like Hiya, TNS, and First Orion are what punish a bad number with a Spam Likely label. LineShield does not query those systems. It checks the CNAM and line-type signals they judge, so you can see the inputs they react to before they cost you contact rate.
Why you can't see your own caller ID
Your handset shows the contact you saved for your own number, not the network CNAM. The caller-ID name and line type that decide your label are read on the recipient's carrier side, from LIDB and line-type records you never see. That gap is why a number can sit flagged for weeks while your contact rate quietly drops and nothing on your phone looks wrong.
The instant-F catch: a third-party name on your line
The most serious thing an audit can surface is a number whose CNAM displays a regulated third-party identity: a bank, law firm, hospital, mortgage company, or government body. The recipient sees that named business on their screen, not your agency.
The federal Truth-in-Caller-ID Act (47 U.S.C. Section 227(e)) prohibits knowingly transmitting misleading caller-ID information. Continuing to dial from a number like this can expose you to liability under that Act, as well as trademark or trade-name claims from the named business. This is not a number to rotate later; it is one to stop dialing. LineShield forces an automatic F on it, separate from the risk math, so it is impossible to miss.
How LineShield grades each number A through F
LineShield reads each number's caller-ID name and line type from the live caller-ID and line-type records, scores the signals into a single spam-risk number from 0 to 100, and maps that to an A through F grade. An A is clean and ready to dial. Lower grades tell you what to port, replace, or stop using. A third-party identity flag forces an F on its own, regardless of the score.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my calls showing as Spam Likely?
Carrier call-analytics systems decide what label your call shows on the recipient's phone. The two signals on the number that drive that label are the caller-ID name (CNAM) registered for it and its line type. An unregistered or generic CNAM (such as WIRELESS CALLER) and a non-fixed VoIP line type both push your calls toward a Spam Likely label.
Can I see my own caller-ID name?
Not from your own handset. Your phone shows the contact you saved, not the network CNAM. The caller-ID name and line type that recipients see are read from carrier and LIDB records on the recipient's side, which is why a number can be flagged for weeks before you notice your contact rate dropping.
What does it mean if my caller ID shows a bank or law firm's name?
It means the number is registered to a third-party business identity, not your agency. The federal Truth-in-Caller-ID Act (47 U.S.C. Section 227(e)) prohibits knowingly transmitting misleading caller-ID information, so continuing to dial from such a number can expose you to liability and to trademark or trade-name claims from the named business. LineShield treats this as a stop-dialing flag and grades the number an automatic F.
Does LineShield check Hiya or TNS?
No. LineShield does not query Hiya, TNS, or First Orion. It checks the caller-ID name and line-type signals that those analytics systems judge, reading the live caller-ID and line-type records, then grades each number A through F so you can see what those systems are reacting to.
What does an A through F grade mean?
Each number gets a composite spam-risk score from 0 to 100 based on its CNAM and line type, which maps to a single A through F grade. An A is clean and ready to dial; lower grades tell you what to port, replace, or stop using. A third-party identity flag forces an F on its own.
See what a prospect's phone shows
Run your numbers through a free Caller ID audit. LineShield checks the CNAM and line type on each one and grades it A through F in about 30 seconds.
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