From today, November 19th, the new AGCOM filter to block spam calls from fake mobile numbers. From the moment this “phase 2” of the system comes into operation, many of the unwanted calls that plague millions of users every day will be recognized and stopped before the phone even starts to ring. You will probably have experienced at least once that insistence of someone who, behind a mobile number unknown to you, has tried to sell you services in which you are not interested or, even worse, to mislead you by posing as the bank or the police, a relative of yours in difficulty (perhaps following voice cloning done with AI) or a recruiter who has received your CV. According to a study conducted by Hiya, in the last quarter of 2024 alone, every citizen in Italy received an average of 14 spam calls per month: over half were found to be harassing or fraudulent, often coming from artfully modified numbers. The technique that makes all this possible is called spoofing: consists of falsifying the identity of the caller, i.e. the CLI (Calling Line Identification), to make those who respond believe they are being contacted by a reliable and recognizable number. This manipulation makes it difficult to identify who is behind the call and hinders any protection for users.
The second phase of AGCOM’s anti-spam filter is underway: how it works
THE’AGCOM (Communications Regulatory Authority) has worked in recent months on a series of technical provisions to make this practice ineffective, especially when it comes from abroad, where the vast majority of fraudulent calls are concentrated. The first part of the measure has already been active since 19 August and concerns Italian landline numbers used illicitly outside the country. The second phase, which will start from 19 November, will also extend the block to calls with counterfeit mobile numbers: an important innovation because more and more scammers are using fake mobile numbers to appear more credible in the eyes of those who respond. With these actions, AGCOM’s objective is to reduce the number of fraudulent contact attempts, discourage those who try to exploit technology to bypass controls and restore greater peace of mind in the daily use of the smartphone. If you are wondering what will change for you, the answer is simple: the network will automatically filter calls with a spoofed CLI coming from abroadso you no longer have to worry about independently recognizing whether a number is safe or not.
Everything starts from a formal decision of the Authority, which in the session of November 6 approved new rules that integrate the previous resolution no. 106/25/CONS. Those technical measures serve to stop phone calls from abroad using modified Italian numbers. The first phase has already shown interesting results: thanks to the active filters on fixed numbers, in the month of September 2025 approximately 20 million calls out of over 1 billion and 400 million attempted, equal to1.37% of the total. In the first weeks of application, in July and August, that percentage was much higher (8.82% and 3.84% respectively), a sign that the measure is having a deterrent effect. It means that those who try to use counterfeit numbers have started to give up.
What changes with the new rules for fake mobile numbers
There second phase expands the scope of the intervention to include all types of mobile numbers. More specialized categories also include: the numbers used by devices that communicate with each other automatically, usually called machine-to-machineand even satellite users. In these scenarios, it is not common to generate voice calls from abroad and this is why one has been introduced simplified preventative blocking method: if a mobile operator does not have the function of originating international calls, those coming from its network will be stopped without the need for additional checks.
Another condition concerns mobile operators who have not yet implemented the checks required by AGCOM to ascertain whether a number calling from abroad really belongs to an international roaming user. In practice: if an operator is not able to check that the number is physically abroad, your direct calls to Italy will be blocked. And so that users do not suffer consequences without being informed of the matter, there is an obligation on the part of operators to notify them at least one month before the suspension, offering the possibility of changing operator.
Alongside the intervention on international calls, AGCOM underlines that the legislation already in force is sufficient to combat spoofing starting from Italian territory. Regarding this aspect, AGCOM has in fact declared:
The current regulations on the use of numbering, in fact, allow the operators responsible for failure to verify the CLI or its alteration to be identified and prosecuted. The work of identifying subjects operating CLI spoofing at a national level will be easier thanks to the complete blocking of illicit traffic coming from abroad.
Even if miracles will not happen from November 19th and spam calls will continue to exist, what AGCOM did represents a decisive step towards a more secure mobile network. Those who move into the dark side of telephony will have to deal with more stringent filters and more rigorous controls. And for all of us users, everyday life with the smartphone will gain a little more peace of mind, thanks to a piece of technology that works silently for us.
