MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)
The government's plan to combat phone scams and fraudulent text messages launched last March has since resulted in the blocking of nearly 48 million calls and 2.2 million text messages, according to an announcement made this Monday by the Minister of Digital Transformation and Public Administration, Óscar López, who described the results as "spectacular."
In a press conference, López indicated that in the first phase of the plan, which began on March 7, 235,600 calls and 10,000 text messages were blocked daily.
Starting in June and July, with the implementation of the following anti-fraud measures, the number of calls blocked each day increased to 434,915, and the number of SMS messages to 18,666.
Thus, the minister emphasized, the entry into force of the second package of measures in June and July increased the number of blocked calls by 85% and the number of blocked text messages by 87%.
"Since we implemented the measures on March 7, nearly 48 million fake calls have been blocked, specifically 47,971,400 calls, and more than 2,200,000 text messages," the minister noted.
The plan against phone scams and fraudulent SMS requires operators to block calls and SMS messages with numbers that have not been assigned, allocated, or assigned, including empty numbers.
It also requires operators to block international calls and text messages that pretend to have originated from a Spanish number, except for customers who are roaming. Fraudulent calls often originate from foreign countries, but simulate calls with Spanish numbers to deceive citizens. This measure came into effect on June 7.
The plan also includes the creation of a database with verified names or alphanumeric codes to prevent them from impersonating a bank, company, or government agency. When sending SMS messages, an alphanumeric tag is sometimes used as an identifier instead of a mobile number.
Starting with the implementation of this measure, scheduled for 2026, these alphanumeric codes will be registered and verified by the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) as a way to protect the names of companies or entities and more quickly and effectively detect any identity theft attempts.
"Sometimes, you receive an SMS that supposedly comes from Correos or the DGT, but in reality it isn't. They're impersonating not only public bodies but also private companies," López denounced, insisting that work is underway to develop this more complex measure for implementation in 2026.
