Stop telephone scams based on spoofing technique. With resolution 106/25/Cons approved the May 19th last fromAGCOM (Authority for guarantees in communications) a New “Anti-Spoofing” filter To counteract telephone scams, spams and illegal telemarketing. This filter will be mandatory for all telephone operators and aims to prevent calls from abroad they appear as if they will come from Italian numbers, thus creating a false perception of reliability. The heart of the measure is the introduction of a technical barrier that will allow you to automatically block anomalous communications, based on specific criteria related to the origin and correct identification of the calling number. The entry into force of the measure conceived by AGCOM is set for the 1 July 2025.
How the AGCOM anti-Spoofing filter works
The regulation provides that international calls, especially those made through technology Voip (i.e. via the Internet), are subjected to rigorous checks: If a number that seems Italian is used by an unrecognized foreign user, the call will be rejected. But how exactly does this protection mechanism work? And why is spoofing so difficult to stop with traditional tools?
To understand it you have to start from what it is meant by spoofingor more precisely CLI Spoofing (Calling Line Identification Spoofing). With this term, the substantially indicates the falsification of the identity of the calling number. In practice, scammers manage to make a number that seems real on your phone, often with local prefixes or associated with known entities, such as banks or public services. In reality, these calls are generated by foreign call centers through automated systems that use technology Voip (Voice over IP), manipulating the information displayed on the display. When you try to recall that number, in most cases you will discover that it does not exist or is not active: it is a mask, useful only to obtain your attention and trust.
The AGCOM response to this annoying (and dangerous) phenomenon is a filter that acts on two levels. The first concerns fixed numbers: within three months telephone operators must implement software capable of blocking calls from abroad that use fake Italian fixed numbers. The second step, to be completed within six months, is even more delicate: to recognize and stop the calls that pretend to come from Italian mobile numbers. This second filter requires that foreign operators, before instructing a call to Italy, carry out a real -time verification: they must make sure that the mobile number used is actually assigned and active on a foreign network. Otherwise, the call must be blocked.
From a technical point of view, to be considered valid, a call must comply with the standards defined by theItu (International Telecommunication Union), an organization of the United Nations that establishes the operating rules of global networks. According to these guidelines, the number must appear in the correct international format, or with the symbol “+” followed by prefix of the country (in our case +39) and the national number. In addition, this information must be entered in the so -called Fields PAI (P-Asserted-Entetrity) And Fromtwo technical components of VoIP calls that serve to precisely identify the origin of telephone traffic.
If these data are not consistent or completely lack, the Agcom filter will enter into action. In particular, phone calls will be blocked that use Italian mobile numbers but which are not active on foreign networks or are not assigned to any customer.
How much is the problem of unwanted calls in Italy
According to a drawn report of the company Hiyaonly in the fourth quarter of 2024 each Italian received on average 14 Spam calls per month. The 58% of these were from unknown numbers was identified as harassing or fraudulent, while only the 42% He returned to legitimate communications. And this phenomenon is not limited to being simply annoying: in many cases it represents a real risk to the safety of citizens, especially when apparently familiar numbers are hidden attempts at scam. Spoofing allows those who practice it to circumvent filters such as the register of oppositions, to change the number of continuously and always appear “new” in the eyes of the recipients. With the introduction of the AGCOM filter, it is hoped that it is the right time to seriously mitigate the phenomenon of telephone spam.
