The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration has launched an ambitious plan to tackle the growing problem of phone and SMS scams, which have significantly increased in recent times. Through a Ministerial Order, the ministry has initiated a public consultation process to implement five measures designed to strengthen consumer and business protection against identity theft frauds.
The new initiatives include blocking calls and text messages from unassigned numbers, as well as prohibiting the use of mobile numbering for commercial purposes, in order to simplify the identification of potential frauds. Additionally, a database of alphanumeric aliases for SMS messages will be established, and messages and calls with international numbering using the national code will be blocked.
According to reports from the Bank of Spain, the Ministry of the Interior, and the National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE), identity theft scams, such as CLI Spoofing and SMS Smishing, have grown significantly. These scams involve manipulating call identifiers to appear as if they are from legitimate companies, or sending fake messages that impersonate trustworthy entities to deceive users.
Among the proposed measures are:
– Blocking unassigned numbers: Operators must block calls using numbers that are not assigned to any service or client.
– Blocking international calls and SMS with national numbering: Calls and messages with international origins using Spanish numbering will be prohibited, except for international roaming cases.
– Registry of alphanumeric aliases: A database managed by the National Commission of Markets and Competition will be created to control the use of aliases in SMS messages.
– Prohibition of mobile numbering for commercial calls: Commercial calls will be prevented from originating from mobile numbers, allowing entities to use 800 and 900 numbers for these calls, thus facilitating the identification of legitimate calls.
The ministry has opened a public consultation period until September 15, 2024, inviting citizens and entities to submit their contributions on the regulatory project. Comments can be sent to the email address [email protected].
This plan is based on similar practices implemented in European countries such as Finland, where comparable measures have reduced identity theft scams by almost 90%. With these new guidelines, the government aims to restore trust in electronic communications and protect the population from these increasingly sophisticated frauds.
References: