Aggressive telemarketing, those annoying calls millions of Italians receive every day, offering them rates, deals, and often scams, from call centers using "screen" numbers, often nonexistent. There are now two dates for the (hopefully) end of this phenomenon: August 19th and November 19th.
These are the steps established by the Communications Authority to combat the practice of "spoofing," or the illegitimate modification of a caller's telephone number.
The block on calls from abroad disguised as Italian landline numbers is scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday, August 19th . The second phase is scheduled for November 19th and will affect "fake" Italian mobile numbers.
A double operation in the same phase is impossible, because the telephone companies are the ones who must enforce the rules. Operators were required to activate technologies to block calls from fake landline numbers within three months, and those from fake mobile numbers within six months. The decision dates back to May.
Handling calls from spoofed mobile numbers is more complex and will take longer: an additional three months until November.
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)
