Regulator Proposes Sweeping Rules To Force Telecoms Operators To Block Scam Calls And Text
By Donal O’Donovan
The communications industry regulator, ComReg, has proposed major actions it wants telecoms companies to take to tackle the scourge of phone scammers including stopping scammers abroad spoofing Irish numbers.
“Scams are a blight on Irish society and cause significant financial and economic damage to all sectors of society including consumers, business, and public bodies,” ComReg said.
Research commissioned by ComReg into the harms caused by scam calls and SMS texts conservatively estimated the economic cost to Ireland of over €300m(US$327.53million) a year annum.
Being an English speaking country means Ireland is at particular risk, the research found.
This research indicates that in 2022 alone in Ireland there were approximately 365,000 cases of fraud as result of scam calls and texts and up to 89 million annoying/irritating communications and 31 million distressing communications.
Last year over 5,000 businesses that were the victim of fraud after receiving scam calls and texts.
ComReg has now put forward proposals that will require phone operators to implement a number of technical interventions to combat scam calls and texts.
Among the measures proposed is an order forcing telecoms companies to introduce fixed and mobile blocking that stops fraudsters abroad spoofing Irish numbers to make scam voice calls.
It wants telecoms companies to create a so called protected number list: To stop fraudsters using numbers that are not yet in service or have yet to be allocated to a telecoms operator prior to entering service.
It wants a “Do-Not-Originate list”, this will allows businesses and other organisations to secure their numbers by blocking those numbers not used to contact consumers.
An SMS ID Registry will allow businesses/organisations to register a text message sender and block those that are not on the Register.
ComReg also wants what are called dynamic interventions in the shape of a voice firewall and SMS Scam Filter which it says are tools that can react to the latest scams.
Those last measures will require legal changes but are already working in Belgium and Poland, ComReg said.
The regulator said the overall benefit of the package of interventions, if implemented, would be in the order of €1.5 billion over the coming seven years while the benefits to society for each euro spent on the interventions is substantial and should bring €50 in economic and social benefit for every €1 spent.
Comreg said the vast majority of mobile users reporting to have received scam calls or SMS.
The proposals are now part of a consultation process.
