Are you tired of picking up calls that turn out to be sales pitches? There’s a change coming that should make them much easier to spot. From October, all commercial calls in Spain will have to use numbers starting with 400.
The measure gives telecom operators six months to adapt. After that, any commercial call not made from a 400 number will be automatically blocked.
Tackling spam: 400 numbers
The idea is straightforward: make it clear when a call is commercial. Numbers using the 400 prefix will be one-way only, meaning users can receive calls but cannot call them back. This helps reduce fraud and avoids the risk of returning calls to unknown numbers.
According to minister Óscar López, the change will prevent confusion with personal calls, something most people have experienced at some point.
Part of wider anti-scam measures
The move forms part of Spain’s broader efforts to tackle phone scams and unwanted contact. Since the government introduced its anti-fraud plan, telecom operators have already blocked 192 million calls and 17 million SMS messages.
There will also be an option for users to block all commercial calls made through the 400 range if they wish.
If companies ignore the rules and use other numbers, users can report them to the Office for Telecommunications Users or the CNMC.
Customer service calls also regulated
The government has also clarified rules for customer service calls. These must now come from recognised number ranges only:
- Freephone numbers starting with 800 or 900
- Official short numbers
- Standard geographic numbers
Mobile numbers can no longer be used for customer service calls.
New controls for SMS coming soon
Another measure is on the way. From June, operators will block SMS messages sent from unregistered sender names. This should stop scammers posing as banks, companies or public bodies.
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