Óscar López, the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, has outlined the effectiveness of the government’s Plan against telephone and SMS scams. Since the implementation of the first measures on seventh March twenty twenty-five, telecommunications operators have successfully blocked a staggering forty-seven million nine hundred seventy-one thousand four hundred calls and two million two hundred twelve thousand nine hundred fifty SMS messages. The daily average of blocked communications has risen significantly since the plan’s initiation.

In the initial phase of the plan, from seventh March to seventh June, operators blocked approximately two hundred thirty-five thousand six hundred calls and ten thousand SMS messages daily. This increase in effectiveness continued, with averages climbing to four hundred thirty-four thousand nine hundred fifteen calls and eighteen thousand six hundred sixty-six SMS messages in June and July.

Minister López explained that measures have been taken to safeguard citizens from identity theft scams. These scams typically involve fraudsters posing as legitimate entities to extract personal information from unsuspecting users. Following the pattern of increasing threats, the government mandated operators to block unassigned numbers and later, starting from seventh June, calls and SMS messages that originate internationally but appear to come from Spanish numbers.

A key new element of the plan includes the prohibition of commercial calls from mobile numbers. Previously, many scams were executed using calls from unidentified mobile numbers. Henceforth, commercial calls are permitted only from geographic prefixes or toll-free numbers. Additionally, a new complex measure to be implemented in June twenty twenty-six will establish an official database for alphanumeric codes used by companies and public administrations to identify themselves in SMS communications, which aims to further protect citizens from fraudulent activities.