Italy blocks 7.5 million commercial calls from fake mobile numbers per day

The new filter from the Italian Communications Authority (AgCom) to block calls from falsified Italian mobile numbers originating from abroad has stopped approximately 7.5 million fraudulent calls per day since it was activated on November 19, according to the first data from the main operators. This measure is part of the second phase of the Italian plan to combat identity theft, which alters the phone number of the call to make it appear as if it were local, when in reality it originates abroad. In August, AgCom activated a first phase of the system that blocked fraudulent calls coming from falsified Italian landline numbers.

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“In total, the four main operators blocked, between November 19 and 21, an approximate average of 7.46 million calls per day,” the AgCom reported this Tuesday in a statement. The four main Italian operators (TIM, Vodafone-Fastweb, WindTre, and Iliad) have informed AgCom that between November 19 and 21, the number of fraudulent calls blocked was six times greater than the number of calls blocked in September, when only calls from landlines were blocked (around 1.3 million daily). According to AgCom, some operators have detected irregular call rates of 50%, 70% and even 90% of the total mobile traffic received from abroad. The measure, which seeks to curb aggressive telemarketing and phone scams, allows real-time verification of whether a mobile number exists, to whom it is assigned, and whether it is in legitimate roaming or has been falsified, automatically blocking calls that do not pass the checks. However, AgCom warns that the phenomenon could move to calls made with legitimate international numbers, which, according to current regulations, cannot be blocked. Furthermore, it could increase the identity theft originating within Italy, and in that case, the authority assures that it will be able to identify and sanction those responsible.