In an effort to mitigate the number of spam calls to campus phones, ITS has enabled a spam reporting feature. This feature will allow users to report phone numbers they believe to be spam, gradually reducing the number of spam calls that make it through to campus.

Emergency Notice 

If you feel your life or safety is in imminent danger, call 9‑1‑1 immediately.

Harassing or Threatening Calls (Not Spam)

  • If the call is not an emergency, report it to Communications Services by submitting a ServiceNow ticket or calling 805‑893‑8700.
  • Depending on the nature of the calls, you may be encouraged to contact the UC Police Department (805‑893‑3446) to file a police report.
  • If the calls come from the same phone number, Communications Services may be able to block them.

Managing Spam and Unwanted Calls

Report Spam or Block a Number

For step-by-step instructions on how to flag a number as spam, please reference the User Guide for Zoom Phone Spam.

The same steps can be used to block a number that isn't necessarily spam but is an unwanted caller.

Quick Tip: Reporting spam and blocking unwanted callers can help improve your calling experience and assist Zoom's spam detection efforts.

Enable Inbound Call Screening

Zoom Phone can intercept automated robocalls and telemarketers before your device ever rings. When enabled, external callers hear a prompt requiring them to press a digit (usually 1) to connect with you. Unresponsive callers are immediately disconnected.

You can turn on call screening by logging into the the Zoom web portal:

  1. Click Phone in the primary navigation menu
  2. Locate the Settings tab
  3. Scroll down to the Call Screening toggle and turn it on
  4. Check the box to "Exclude my contacts from call screening, calls from contacts will reach you as normal." Leave box deselected to screen all inbound callers.

What to Expect

This feature will not eliminate all spam calls to campus.

Malicious entities have developed a variety of tactics to fool spam-blocking systems, including spoofing phone numbers or blocking caller ID data, which make it virtually impossible to determine the true source of many spam calls.

Because of this, spam calls can only be mitigated, not eliminated.

Ongoing Spam Call Mitigation Efforts

ITS is actively working with Zoom to stay current with industry standards for spam call mitigation.

We appreciate your patience while we continue to seek campus-wide solutions that will improve the experience for all Zoom Phone users.

Need Assistance?

If you require further assistance with this new feature, please submit a ServiceNow ticket.

Additional Resources

For more tips on addressing spam calls, please refer to these additional resources from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Thank you for your continuing support.