Patent ID: 8781093

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for filtering messages, the method comprising: detecting an incoming message directed to a subscriber telephone number, the subscriber telephone number having been previously associated with at least one subscriber communications device, and the subscriber telephone number being one of a plurality of managed telephone numbers of which at least some telephone numbers are unassigned to any subscriber for any service; identifying a sender of the incoming message; obtaining a reputation score associated with the identified sender, the reputation score determined as a function at least in part of a number of calls made by the identified sender to telephone numbers of the plurality of managed telephone numbers that are unassigned to any subscriber for any service, a duration and time between successive calls made by the identified sender, and a ratio of calls to unassigned telephone numbers to calls placed; and selectively forwarding the incoming message to at least one subscriber communications device associated with the subscriber telephone number, based on the reputation score associated with the identified sender.