In an effort to mitigate the number of spam calls to campus phones, ITS is enabling a new spam reporting feature on the week of October 9-13. 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.
Please note that spam calls are different from harassing or threatening calls. If you are receiving harassing or threatening calls, please reference the Knowledge Base article on how to address harassing or threatening calls.
With this new feature, numbers you flag as spam will be blocked on your Zoom account, but it will not be blocked for any other users at UCSB. If a number is repeatedly flagged, Zoom will alert ITS support staff, allowing them to investigate the source of the calls. If they determine that the source is malicious, they may mark the number as “Potential Spam” on caller ID or block the number, preventing it from calling campus.
For step-by-step instructions on how to flag a number as spam, please reference the user guide for Zoom Phone spam.
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.
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.
If you require further assistance with this new feature, please submit a ServiceNow ticket.
For more tips on addressing spam calls, please refer to these additional resources from the Federal Communications Commission.
Thank you for your continuing support.