Importance

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Abstract

A system is provided to restrict the ability of a spammer to freely contact an entity over a communication channel. To do so, the system reconfigures a communication channel used to contact the target entity such that the system can intercept a communication from a source contacting entity en route to the target entity. The system extracts an identifier (e.g., contacting entity's telephone number) from the communication and uses the identifier to query a database storing information about the contacting entity. The information reveals the contacting entity's industry, occupation, credibility, etc. From this information, the system automatically identifies the contacting entity as a spammer, potential spammer, or non-spammer. The system performs a default screening of the communication based on the classification. Alternatively, the target contacted entity can specify a configuration for different actions the system takes to screen the communication based on the source contacting entity classification.

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First Claim